A new report only adds to speculation that President Trump fired then-FBI Director James Comey mainly because of the FBI's investigation into collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
The New York Times reported Friday that President Trump told Russian diplomats earlier this month his decision to fire Comey alleviated the "great pressure" he faced from the probe.
The report cites two unnamed sources, one of whom read from a summary of Trump's meeting with the diplomats in the Oval Office. That meeting took place the day after Comey's firing.
Trump reportedly told the officials he was not under investigation. During the course of their conversation, he also reportedly called Comey "a real nut job."
The White House hasn't denied that Trump made the comments. Rather, White House press secretary Sean Spicer told the Times the pressure Trump was referring to was on his administration's "ability to engage and negotiate with Russia."
The Washington Post also reported Friday that a senior White House adviser is now considered a "significant person of interest" in the Justice Department's Russia probe.
Both reports come at the end of a week chock-full of Russia-related reports.
They range from Trump giving the Russians classified intelligence from an ally without the ally's permission to allegations he asked Comey to stop the investigation into Flynn.
Earlier this week, the deputy attorney general appointed a special counsel to take over the probe into Russian meddling in the U.S. election. That investigation includes examining whether there was any collusion between the campaigns and the Russian government.
Lauren Stephenson
