The inspector general's office, which serves as the agency's internal watchdog, said Comey shared a handwritten memo with a friend who described it to the New York Times, in an effort by Comey to pressure the Justice Department to launch an independent investigation into his conversations with President Trump.

The memo described a private conversation in which Trump allegedly asked Comey to drop the FBI's investigation into his then-national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Flynn has since pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with Russian officials.

Comey decided to share the contents of the memo after Trump fired him in May 2017.