U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said Wednesday he would not stick around and be President Trump's "whipping boy" if he was in the position of his former colleague, Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Would Alabama Senator Richard Shelby remain Attorney General if the President attacked him the way he has attacked Jeff Sessions?



"Absolutely not." pic.twitter.com/YT2OKppsts — Neil Cavuto (@TeamCavuto) February 28, 2018

Shelby made the comment during an appearance on Fox Business amid the president's latest public criticism of Sessions. Trump openly questioned why Sessions was delegating an investigation into potential FISA court abuses to the Justice Department inspector general instead of the agency's lawyers.

Sessions, who left his Senate seat to be Trump's attorney general, has been the source of Trump's ire over his decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. The president also reportedly disparaged Sessions to the point that the attorney general gave Trump his resignation, which was not accepted.

"Absolutely not," Shelby told Fox Business' Neil Cavuto about whether he would stay in the administration if he was treated like Sessions. "I wouldn't stay at all unless the president wanted me to stay if he appointed me. I wouldn't be anybody's whipping boy, I wouldn't be belittled because the president is saying he doesn't have any confidence in me."

Alabama's senior senator also defended his former colleague's loyalty to Trump.

"Loyalty is two-way street in a Cabinet position. We know that. I'm sure the president knows that and the people who take those jobs know that," he said.

While Shelby said he would leave the administration, he said that decision would be up to Sessions.

"He's a good man," the senator said. "He's going through a lot. He has a lot of challenges."