Vladimir Putin offers asylum to former U.S. FBI director Comey

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered asylum to the former director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), James Comey.

Putin said that Comey’s release of records of his conversations with President Donald Trump equated to being an activist, like former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who lives in Russia under asylum.

If Comey, who was fired by Trump, continues to be persecuted, “we will be ready to provide him political asylum,” Putin said on national television.

Trump dismissed Comey on May 9 and the administration gave differing reasons for the action.