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Article snippet: WASHINGTON — The revelation that James B. Comey documented his interactions with President Trump — describing in detail how the president urged him to quash the federal investigation into Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser — provided the clearest evidence yet that Mr. Trump tried to influence the government’s inquiry into possible links between his associates and Russia. It also shined a bright light on something more commonplace: the F.B.I.’s practice of keeping careful, contemporaneous notes. For law enforcement officials like Mr. Comey, who was fired last week as the director of the F.B.I., documenting sensitive conversations is a reflex — and in keeping with the habits of diligent lawyers. Mr. Comey was a federal prosecutor and corporate counsel before he took over the F.B.I. In sensitive investigations as well as in routine matters, it is standard for people who work in law enforcement to keep detailed phone and meeting logs, Lauren C. Anderson, a former top F.B.I. official, said. “That’s the culture of the F.B.I. — you habitually document everything you do,” Ms. Anderson, a 29-year veteran of the bureau, said. “As a rule, you’re not taping every conversation, so your ability to recall details in a way that can be maintained and relied on is absolutely critical.” The instinct to preserve possible evidence goes beyond the F.B.I. “The same is true in the C.I.A.,” Ms. Anderson said. “They’re meticulous in their documentation of both formal a... Link to the full article to read more