The former director of the FBI has twice called Donald Trump a liar, in explosive testimony on Capitol Hill.

James Comey says he took detailed notes of his meetings with Trump - which he didn't need for previous presidents - because he feared the current President would lie about their contents.

He also claimed the Trump administration had lied to the public, and defamed him, by trying to explain why he was fired - saying that only one day before his dismissal, Trump had called him to complement him on his performance.

Claims that Comey's staff were in rebellion against him were "lies, plane and simple", he said, arguing that the FBI had been "defamed" through those claims.

He told the committee it was "absolutely a fact" that the Russian government interfered in the US election last year, though not in the specific act of how ballots were cast or counted.

However, he refused to answer questions on whether Trump had actively colluded with the Russian government, deferring those questions to a later closed session of the committee where classified matters can be discussed.

He also said that while Trump had never asked directly him to drop his investigations into the alleged Russian links of his national security advisor, Michael Flynn, Trump did tell him he "hoped" it would be dropped - which Comey interpreted as a direction on Trump's behalf.

He has also told the Senate Intelligence Committee that he believes Trump IS being investigated for obstructing justice - a charge which could lead to impeachment proceedings: