The FBI is planning to create a special section based at its Washington headquarters to co-ordinate its investigation of Russian activities designed to influence the 2016 presidential election, according to a person familiar with the plan.
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Creation of the temporary unit mirrors the bureau's approach to other sensitive investigations, including the WikiLeaks disclosure of classified US government documents and Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state.
The FBI generally prefers to run investigations from one of its 56 field offices, but the high-profile nature of the sprawling Russia inquiry is seen as requiring a central manager, according to current and former officials.
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The bureau is expected to recall from the field an FBI counter-intelligence specialist to oversee the squad, which is to begin work next month. If the new team — with about 20 dedicated agents drawn from across the country — operates as similar units have in the past, its chief would brief Mr Comey on a weekly basis while providing daily updates for deputy director Andrew McCabe.
”We did it quite regularly," said Robert Anderson of Navigant, a business consulting group, who was a former executive assistant director of the FBI. ”Any time there's a big case, a giant case, it becomes a huge resource drain across the organisation."
