Donald Trump has tweeted that James Comey will be replaced by "someone who will do a far better job" and bring back "FBI prestige".

The US President tweeted after he abruptly fired FBI Director James Comey last night, dramatically ousting the nation’s top law enforcement official in the midst of an FBI investigation into whether Trump’s campaign had ties to Russia’s election meddling.

His message read; "James Comey will be replaced by someone who will do a far better job, bringing back the spirit and prestige of the FBI."

In a letter to Comey, Trump said the firing was necessary to restore “public trust and confidence” in the FBI.

Comey has come under intense scrutiny in recent months for his role in an investigation into Democrat Hillary Clinton’s email practices, including a pair of letters he sent to Congress on the matter in the closing days of last year’s election.

A memo was also released by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein about Comey's actions.

"I cannot defend the Director's handling of the conclusion of the investigation of Secretary Clinton's emails, and I do not understand his refusal to accept the nearly universal judgment that he was mistaken," Rosenstein wrote.

Rosenstein identified several areas in which he said Comey had erred, saying it was wrong of him to "usurp" then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch's authority by announcing the initial conclusion of the email case on July 5.

Comey "announced his own conclusions about the nation's most sensitive criminal investigation, without the authorization of duly appointed Justice Department leaders," Rosenstein wrote.

Comey also "ignored another longstanding principle" by holding a news conference to "release derogatory information about the subject of a declined criminal investigation."

Furthermore, FBI director, James Comey, reportedly found out that he had been fired after seeing it on the news while he gave a speech in Los Angeles.

According to the New York Times, Mr Comey was addressing a group of FBI employees when he saw the news of his termination flash on a TV screen.

Mr Comey was then allegedly taken into a nearby office where his staff confirmed that he had been fired.

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With reporting from Press Association

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