Sean Spicer hid behind bushes near the White House as reporters clamoured to question him over James Comey's sacking, it has been reported.

The White House press secretary was much in demand on Tuesday night and, after giving a TV interview on an outside set, retreated to the safety of a nearby hedge, according to the Washington Post.

After several minutes conferring with aides Mr Spicer emerged ready to provide answers, as long as they were not filmed, the Post said.

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Why did Donald Trump fire James Comey?

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Trump's first official meeting after sacking Comey is with Russian FM

Donald Trump's sacking of Mr Comey, the now ex-FBI director, on the advice of his Justice Department had Washington in uproar.

Mr Comey was leading the investigation of alleged Russian hacking of the US election, and of claimed ties between Trump associates and the Kremlin.

But Mr Trump, who has denied any such links, said it was Mr Comey's handling of the probe into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server — which the Democrat blamed for helping her lose the election — that meant a new face was needed to restore public trust.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that is carrying out its own investigation, said he believed the action amount to a "looming constitutional crisis".

"The president of the United States has just fired the Director of the FBI who was carrying out an investigation into him," he said.

Senior Republican senator John McCain said he was "disappointed in the president's decision". Mr McCain said the firing strengthened the case "for a special congressional committee to investigate Russia’s interference in the 2016 election," the New York Times reported.