Unproven

Comey 'asked for more resources' for the Russia probe days before he was fired

The day after Comey's firing, multiple outlets reported, citing congressional and other officials, that Comey had asked Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for a significant increase in resources for the Russia investigation shortly before Trump fired him.

First reported May 10, 2017 · The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Associated Press

Screenshot of the original report as published — Screenshot of the report as published: militarytimes.com. Tap to open the source.

Who it helped: Democrats

The report suggested Trump fired Comey to choke off the Russia investigation.

What was reported

What actually happened

The Justice Department called the report totally false the same day. On May 11, acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe told the Senate Intelligence Committee the bureau had adequate resources for the probe and was not aware of any such request. On May 19, Rosenstein told House members he had no evidence Comey had asked for more resources. The request was never documented publicly, though the reporting was widely cited as a possible motive for the firing.

The proof

McCabe's May 11, 2017 Senate testimony and Rosenstein's May 19, 2017 briefing to House members, both saying they knew of no such request.

The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:

Comey 'asked for more resources' for the Russia probe days before he was fired — Unproven. McCabe's May 11, 2017 Senate testimony and Rosenstein's May 19, 2017 briefing to House members, both saying they knew of no such request. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/comey-requested-more-resources-before-firing/

Original reporting

AP via Military Times: Sources say Comey sought more Russia resources before firinghttps://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2017/05/10/sources-comey-sought-more-russia-resources-before-firing/
Syndicated report: Days before he was fired, Comey asked for money for Russia investigationhttps://adn.com/nation-world/2017/05/10/days-before-he-was-fired-comey-asked-for-money-for-russia-investigation

Corrections, findings & records

Washington Examiner: FBI disputes press reports, says it has adequate resourceshttps://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/161714/fbi-disputes-press-reports-we-have-adequate-resources-for-russia-probe/
Roll Call: Resources request from Comey disputed (Rosenstein)https://rollcall.com/2017/05/19/resources-request-from-comey-disputed/
Talking Points Memo: FBI has adequate resources for Russia probe, acting director sayshttps://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mccabe-comey-fbi-trump-firing-resources-russia

Archived copies

Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.

Archived copy: AP via Military Times: Sources say Comey sought more Russia resources before firinghttps://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2017/05/10/sources-comey-sought-more-russia-resources-before-firing/
Archived copy: Syndicated report: Days before he was fired, Comey asked for money for Russia investigationhttps://web.archive.org/web/2/https://adn.com/nation-world/2017/05/10/days-before-he-was-fired-comey-asked-for-money-for-russia-investigation