WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. Senate formally requested details on Thursday from the Justice Department on any additional funding ousted FBI Director James Comey may have sought to conduct his agency’s probe into possible connections between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Senator Patrick Leahy, the senior Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the senior Democrat on a panel overseeing the Justice Department, made the request in a letter. They sought “details of any request for increased resources made by the FBI to DOJ” and “how this request was communicated from the FBI to DOJ, and whether similar requests were made to the White House.” A congressional source with knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday that Comey told lawmakers within the past few days he had asked the Justice Department to make additional resources available - mainly more staffing - for the Russia probe. Trump fired Comey on Tuesday.  
U.S. Senate Democrats seek details on possible Comey funding request