Washington, Jan 25 (IANS): FBI Director James Comey will continue to lead the USs top law-enforcement agency, a media report has said.

Comey has informed his senior staff that President Donald Trump asked him to stay on, despite the criticism he received for the way he managed the Hillary Clinton e-mail probe during the 2016 election, New York Post reported on Tuesday.

Comey was accused of trying to influence the election in Trump's favor.

Just after Trump's surprise victory in November, the then President-elect said during a TV interview that he wasn't sure if he would keep Comey on.

But the newly minted President recently told Comey that he "loves him" and called him a "great guy," the Post quoted a law-enforcement source.

Trump reportedly told Comey that he didn't "want him going anywhere".

Comey dropped the news on his senior staff during a video conference earlier, saying that he "was not leaving".

He was sworn in as the head of the FBI by former President Barack Obama in 2013.

Comey was, however, reported earlier to be navigating through rough terrain with the new president.

The FBI opened formal investigations into Trump's ex-campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and his ties to Russia, according to the New York Times.