When a news report that he had been firedflashed on television screens as he gave a talk to FBI agents, James Comey laughed it off as a prank.

After all, in the bureau's 109-year history, only one FBI director had ever been dismissed - and he had been beset by allegations of ethics violations for months before it happened.

But as phones began to light up among the audience of FBI employees in Los Angeles, aides led Mr Comey to a side room.

Keith Schiller, President Donald Trump's long time bodyguard, had been to Mr Comey's office at the agency's headquarters and delivered a manila envelope that contained the bombshell: "You are hereby terminated and removed from office."

The letter, signed by Mr Trump, said he agreed with a Department of Justice recommendation that Mr Comey was "not able to effectively lead the bureau".