Former FBI Director James Comey will publicly testify next week as part of the ongoing investigations regarding Russia's involvement into the 2016 US election.

Comey was fired in early May by President Trump, kickstarting a series of fresh scandals involving the White House and Russia's ties to top Trump aides.

Comey will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday 8 June at 10am.

He was asked by the committee to testify after reports emerged he was pressured by Trump to halt the FBI investigation into Russia's alleged meddling into the election.

The White House gave many reasons for Comey's firing, with the president himself noting the Russia investigation was a factor.

Trump allegedly told the Russian foreign minister and ambassador that Comey was a "real nut job" and his firing took pressure off him and the Russian investigation.

On 17 May the deputy attorney general appointed former FBI boss Robert Mueller as special counsel to oversee the FBI's probe.

Questions have been raised about secret back channels between Moscow and Washington involving Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, Russian connections to Trump's former NSA advisor Michael Flynn and the attorney general Jeff Sessions for failing to disclose meetings with Russians.