Sen. Mike Lee Michael (Mike) Shumway LeeMcConnell shores up GOP support for coronavirus package McConnell tries to unify GOP Davis: The Hall of Shame for GOP senators who remain silent on Donald Trump MORE (R-Utah) on Sunday defended Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsTrump's policies on refugees are as simple as ABCs Ocasio-Cortez, Velázquez call for convention to decide Puerto Rico status White House officials voted by show of hands on 2018 family separations: report MORE’s role in finding James Comey’s replacement as FBI director.

“I completely disagree with the suggestion that [Attorney General Jeff Sessions] has to detach himself from the process of finding an FBI director,” Lee told host Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday” in response to a Democratic senator's comments earlier on the show advocating that Sessions step back from the search process.

“As attorney general, he’ll be working with the FBI director in a whole lot of cases, involving a whole lot of matters that have nothing to do with anything as to which Attorney General Sessions has recused himself, so I completely disagree. I couldn’t disagree more with that suggestion,” Lee continued.

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Democrats have criticized Sessions for first recusing himself from the Russia investigation and then inserting himself with a recommendation to President Trump to fire FBI Director James Comey amid the probe.

Sessions has met with eight possible candidates to fill the role, which was vacated Tuesday following Comey's dismissal.

Lee praised the list of eight candidates and reiterated his support for Judge Merrick Garland to be considered for the directorship.

“It looks like a good list. I agree that it needs to be someone with a lot of credibility in law enforcement, it is one of the reasons I suggested Merrick Garland the other day,” he said.

Then-President Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaGOP senator blocks Schumer resolution aimed at Biden probe as tensions run high D-Day for Trump: September 29 Obama says making a voting plan is part of 'how to quarantine successfully' MORE nominated Garland to the Supreme Court last year, but Republicans blocked his nomination.

Lee’s initial support of Garland as FBI director last week came as a shock to many.

“I think it is a great suggestion, I’m absolutely serious about it. This is a very different post than putting him on the Supreme Court of the United States,” Lee said on Sunday, praising Garland’s prosecutorial experience.

Lee said Garland would receive bipartisan support, which is an important factor for the FBI role.