The magazine cover depicts former FBI director James Comey being dragged off a plane by Attorney General Jeff Sessions

A 'savage' magazine cover depicting former FBI chief James Comey being dragged off a plane by Attorney General Jeff Sessions has fuelled fierce debate - but one party is far from happy.

The New Yorker cartoon satirizes the treatment Dr David Dao received from United Airlines, prompting a fierce response from his lawyer.

The cover has gone viral and attracted a wide range of comments.

Dr Dao was left bloodied after being dragged off a United flight in Chicago last month, with footage sparking outrage across the world.

After seeing the magazine cover, attorney Thomas Demetrio told MarketWatch that although it was 'very clever', it downplayed his client's suffering.

He said: 'It minimizes the Dao event so that’s collateral damage of a magazine trying to make an editorial point.

'They must feel that Comey’s exit was Dao-ish when in fact it wasn’t. It was a whole different deal.'

Widely shared on social media, opinions on the cover have varied from 'genius' and 'brilliant' to 'disgraceful'.

Bloodied and battered: Dr. David Dao (above) and United Airlines have agreed to a settlement

James Comey was this week fired as director of the FBI in a move that was satirized on the front cover of the New Yorker magazine

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is depicted dragging Comey off the flight, as President Trump looks on

New Yorker artist Barry Blitt, on the magazine's website, said: 'It’s probably a bit of a leap. James Comey is six feet eight — he probably would have been happy to give up his seat in a cramped cabin.'

President Donald Trump sent shockwaves through Washington when he dismissed Comey in a letter this week that read: 'You are hereby terminated and removed from office immediately.'

Comey, who was appointed in 2013, was dismissed after he provided false testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee about classified emails from Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin found on Anthony Weiner's computer.

The cartoon has been branded the 'best cover ever' on Twitter as social media users debate the front cover

It was branded 'excellent' after the controversial front cover was unveiled by the New Yorker

The metaphor works well, one commenter posted after the cartoon was shared on Twitter

Not everybody was impressed though, and the cartoon has been branded a 'disgrace'

On May 2 United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz pledged that his airline 'will do better' as he was grilled by Congress over the passenger drag scandal.

Munoz apologized for the incident as he faced some tough questions at Capitol Hill, admitting that 'No customer should be treated the way Mr. Dao was' adding that it was a 'terrible experience'.

Comey's dismissal has sparked fierce debate, and reports state that the former director thought TV reports of his firing were an elaborate prank as he addressed agents in Los Angeles.

The magazine has been praised for featuring the cartoon following the sacking of James Comey this week

Another Twitter user described the New Yorker cover as 'pure genius'

The magazine has been widely praised for its satirical state on the sacking of James Comey this week

It took little over an hour for Democrats, led by Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, to claim the firing was a cover-up attempt over Trump's alleged links to Russia.

Schumer said: 'Why did it happen today? We know the FBI had been looking into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians – a very serious offense. Were these investigations getting too close to home for the president?'

He then called on Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein to appoint a special prosecutor to look into ties to Russia, saying: 'America depends on you to restore faith in our criminal justice system which is going to be badly shattered after the administration's actions today.'

In a tweet Trump wrote: 'Cryin' Chuck Schumer stated recently, "I do not have confidence in him (James Comey) any longer." Then acts so indignant. #draintheswamp.'