NY Times: why Comey was fired

This NY Times piece reports that days before his firing Comey as the Dept. of Justice for a significant increase in funding to support the Russian investigation. That request was specifically sent to the Deputy Attorney General, who took over the lead on the investigation since the Attorney General had to recuse himself. Comey even briefed some members of Congress about the meeting. Then it was the Deputy AG himself who wrote the memo used to justify Comey's firing? Coincidence? And we're supposed to hope that the Deputy AG is going to appoint an independent special prosecutor? We become more like Russia by the minute.