Sacked FBI Director, James Comey, confirmed on Thursday that Russia had interfered with the US presidential polls and that President Trump later directed him to lay off an investigation into his (Trump's) aides' ties to Moscow.

"It's my judgment that I was fired because of the Russia investigation," 

However, Comey left no doubt that he would have been allowed to stay on as FBI director in return for dropping the Russia probe. Trump reacted by saying,"We're under siege but we know how to fight and never give up."

However, Comey left no doubt that he would have been allowed to stay on as FBI director in return for dropping the Russia probe. Trump reacted by saying,"We're under siege but we know how to fight and never give up."

In an astonishing takedown of President Trump and what he (Comey) saw as Trump's dodgy methods and shifty character, the former FBI director told 15 Senators arrayed on the panel that he was fired after declining to affirm personal loyalty to Trump, despite the President having told him repeatedly that he was doing a good job, and after they had agreed he would remain in his position at Trump's request.

Comey also revealed that he orchestrated a leak of his memos through a personal friend to trigger the appointment of a special counsel because he was concerned that the Trump White House was being dishonest about the reasons for his firing.

In one of the more dramatic moments during the hearing, Comey said

"Lordy, I hope there are tapes!"

On the President's tweets that there could be a recording of their conversations. He said he would be glad if tapes and memos of their conversations are released to establish the truth.

While some Republican lawmakers and Trump supporters focused on Comey's affirmation that President Trump himself was not under investigation and there were no explicit instructions to stop the Russia probe, attention centered on the President's language when, according to Comey, Trump told him at a meeting in the White House in February, "

I HOPE you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go."

Comey says he took that comment as a direction, but some legal eagles argued that expressing "hope" would give the President wiggle room to argue it was just an idea, not an order.

Still, the testimony was extremely damaging to the image of the President, showing the former FBI director mistrusted Trump from the get-go. In a blistering opening statement, Comey accused Trump and his administration of defaming him and lying by telling the public he was fired because he had led the organisation poorly and was disliked.

"Although the law required no reason at all to fire the FBI director the administration then chose to defame me and more importantly the FBI by saying that the organisation was in disarray, that it was poorly led, that the workforce had lost confidence in its leader. Those were lies, plain and simple. And I am so sorry that the FBI workforce had to hear them." 

Comey came out strongly on the issue of Russian interference in the Presidential elections, saying there was absolutely no doubt that Moscow was messing around in the United States.

"There should be no fuzz on this: The Russians interfered in our election... that's about as un-fake as you can get."

Comey maintained, adding that the US was a "shining city on the hill," and the Russians did not like it.

On his decision to document the conversation with the then president-elect, Comey said;

"I was honestly concerned he might lie about the nature of our meeting so I thought it important to document." 

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