James Comey asked to testify before Senate panel

Former campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said that while he believed Comey had "inflicted severe damage" on the FBI, "the timing and manner of this firing suggest that it is the product of Donald Trump feeling the heat on the ongoing Russian Federation investigation and not a well thought out response to the inappropriate handling of the Clinton investigation".

We know with certainty that the FBI is investigating possible Russian coordination with Trump campaign associates.

But a Justice Department official says senior leaders are interviewing additional candidates who could do the job until a permanent replacement for Comey is named and confirmed by the Senate.

Comey's abrupt dismissal sent shockwaves across Washington and was swiftly condemned by Democrats - as well as some in his Trump's own Republican party.

"I do not have confidence in him any longer", Schumer said of Comey, on November 2. He was meeting with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger after having met earlier in the day with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak.

"Sen. Schumer, you told me a year ago before the election that you last confidence in Jim Comey because of how he handled the email scandal", one reporter said.

But Democrats are rejecting the idea that Trump jettisoned Comey over how he had treated Clinton and are using the dismissal to renew calls for a special prosecutor.

When Lavrov and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson emerged Wednesday morning for a brief photo op, Tillerson welcomed Lavrov and thanked the Russian diplomat for traveling to Washington as they continued dialogue "on a very broad range of topics".

The deputy White House press secretary, who is filling in for Sean Spicer during this week's pressers, was asked by MSNBC's Willie Geist to clarify her comments that the investigation into allegations that members of the Trump campaign colluded with Russian Federation to influence the election has become "absurd".

Afterwards, co-anchor Robin Roberts noted that while Democrats did criticize Comey during Clinton's FBI Investigation, that "didn't mean they wanted him fired".

In a flurry of Twitter posts, Mr Trump said Mr Comey had "lost the confidence of nearly everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike".

He was frustrated that the narrative had spun out of his control and repeatedly asked aides why the investigation wouldn't just disappear, and one adviser said Trump would scream at the television when reports aired about the probe.

Trump tweeted as he came under scrutiny for firing Comey while the FBI director was leading an investigation into Russian attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election. His letter recommending firing also specifically mentioned Comey's decision to announce new investigation in the Clinton investigation on October 28.

Trump fired back with a tweet exclaiming: "Cryin" Chuck Schumer stated recently, "I do not have confidence in him (James Comey) any longer.' Then acts so indignant". "The president's not gonna ask me, and I'm not gonna be Federal Bureau of Investigation director".

Members of Congress pressed Comey for more detail during two lengthy hearings in March and May, but he declined to answer almost every question.

We know that at least one of the Republicans open to a special prosecutor is Sen. He added that it "further confuses an already hard investigation by the Committee".

Schumer told Trump in a phone call he thought dumping Comey was a mistake. "On Wednesday, Trump labelled the Senate minority leader "'Cryin' Chuck Schumer"'. President Bill Clinton dismissed William Sessions amid allegations of ethical lapses in 1993.

Comey's firing has cast a cloud over the future of the FBI's inquiry into Russia's interference in last year's presidential election.