FBI Director James Comey was speaking to agents at the bureau's field office in Los Angeles when news of his sacking by US President Donald Trump flashed across a television screen, a law enforcement official who was at the briefing says.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, has told The Associated Press initially Comey chuckled when he saw the news flash on Tuesday but continued to speak to the agents.
Once Comey finished his speech he headed into another office, the official says.
He didn't reappear in the main meeting room and later left Los Angeles on a flight to Washington.
Trump's sacking of Comey, who had been leading an investigation into the Trump 2016 presidential campaign's possible collusion with Russia to influence the election outcome, has ignited a political firestorm in the US.
