James Comey will reportedly stay on as FBI director in Trump's administration

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FBI Director James Comey testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on

Thomson Reuters

FBI Director Comey testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on "Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation" on Capitol Hill in Washington

President Donald Trump has asked James Comey to stay on as FBI director in his administration, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.

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Comey told his top agents that the president had asked him to stay in the job, The Times said.

Comey oversaw the investigation into Trump's former political rival Hillary Clinton, who was the Democratic nominee for president. He faced accusations of tilting the election in Trump's favor by releasing a letter about the ongoing investigation into Clinton's private email server days before voters went to the polls.

But Comey is also overseeing an investigation into several of Trump's political associates and their reported ties to Russia, the Times notes.

Obama appointed Comey to his position in 2013. FBI directors serve 10-year terms.

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Trump met with Comey in Trump Tower earlier this month for an intelligence briefing and Trump indicated then that he wanted Comey to stay on, according to the Times. Then during a conference call last week, Comey gave the news to senior FBI employees.

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