Former FBI director Comey says he will not 'dwell' on decision to fire him
Former FBI Director James Comey has said in a farewell letter that he does not plan to dwell on the decision to fire him or the "way it was executed".
In a letter to his former staff he says that although he will be fine, he will miss the FBI and its mission "deeply," after he was shockingly fired by Trump.
Comey added that "in times of turbulence, the American people should see the FBI as a rock of competence, honesty, and independence."
"It's very hard to leave a group of people who are committed only to doing the right thing," Mr Comey said in the letter posted online by a CNN journalist.
It comes as Donald Trump said he dismissed Mr Comey "because he was not doing a good job".
The US president made the comments to press during a meeting at the Oval Office on Wednesday.
Mr Comey had been in charge of the investigation into the US President's campaign alleged links to Russia's meddling in the 2016 election.
He also recently gave evidence over his handling of a separate investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails.
Video report by ITV News Washington Correspondent Robert Moore
Mr Trump also justified his decision to dismiss the FBI Director in a series of tweets saying Mr Comey had "lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington".
On Wednesday three US officials said Mr Comey told lawmakers he had asked the Justice Department for more money for the FBI's investigation into Russian election meddling.
The officials said Mr Comey told lawmakers he had made the request to Rod Rosenstein the Deputy Attorney General.
However, the Justice Department denied that such a request had been made.
Mr Trump met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russia's ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak at the White House on Wednesday.
Asked if the sacking of Mr Comey had affected his meeting with the Russians, Mr Trump replied: "No, not at all."
But the president would not be drawn on who would now take over the Russian election investigation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Mr Comey's firing will not impact US-Russia relations.
Speaking at the Russian Embassy in Washington after meeting with President Trump, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said it was "humiliating" for the American people to hear that Russia is controlling the political situation in the US.
Mr Lavrov said that politicians raising questions about Russian interference in the US presidential election are damaging the US political system by suggesting that it is being controlled externally.
He continued there was "not a single fact" or piece of compelling evidence proving Russia's intervention in the election.
Democrats have accused Mr Trump of interfering in the Russia inquiry by dismissing Mr Comey, as one senior figure said the move may be seen as a potential cover-up.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said: "We know director Comey was leading an investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians, a serious offence.
"Were those investigations getting too close to home for the president?"
Mr Schumer also called for a special prosecutor to remove the Russia investigation from the FBI and "far away from the heavy hand" of the Trump administration.
US Vice President Mike Pence defended Mr Trump's choice to sack Mr Comey, saying the president had shown strong leadership in his actions and had "made the right decision at the right time".
He added it had nothing to do with the Russia probe and said he was confident Mr Trump would replace Mr Comey with someone who could restore confidence in the FBI.
However, Richard Burr, Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee which oversees US Government intelligence activities, said the firing of Mr Comey could temporarily slow down the probe.
Mr Trump retweeted an online article entitled, "10 major FBI scandals on Comey's watch" the morning after he had axed him.
"You are hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately," Mr Trump wrote in a letter to the man who had been FBI chief since 2013.
In his letter, Mr Trump told Mr Comey he had accepted the recommendation of the Deputy Attorney General to dismiss the director and that he was "hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately".
Mr Trump wrote: "While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgement of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau.
"It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission."
Mr Comey reportedly learned he was being axed from TV news reports while he was on stage addressing FBI agents in California.
He has come under scrutiny in recent months for his public comments on the Clinton investigation, including two letters he sent to Congress on the matter in the closing days of last year's campaign.
The White House circulated a scathing memo by Deputy Attorney General Mr Rosenstein.
It criticised Mr Comey's handling of the investigation, including the director's decision to hold a news conference announcing its findings and releasing "derogatory information" about Mrs Clinton, but made no mention of the Russia investigation.
The White House said the move would "mark a new beginning for our crown jewel of law enforcement".
The search for a new director will begin immediately with Mr Comey's deputy Andrew McCabe serving as acting chief in the interim.
Mr Trump said Mr Comey's permanent replacement will bring back the "spirit and prestige of the FBI".
Mr Comey was nominated by President Barack Obama for the position in 2013 to a 10-year term.
But his prominent role in the 2016 presidential campaign raised questions about his judgment and impartiality.
Though the FBI did not recommend charges against Mrs Clinton for mishandling classified information, Mr Comey was critical of her decision to use a personal email account and private internet server during her four years as secretary of state.
Mr Comey strongly defended his decisions during the hearing last week. He said he was "mildly nauseous" at the thought of having swayed the election but also said he would do the same again.
Mrs Clinton has partially blamed her loss on Mr Comey's disclosure to Congress less than two weeks before Election Day that the email investigation would be revisited.