WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Friday he will nominate former Attorney General William Barr to again lead the Justice Department, a move that could have ramifications for the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

The attorney general for President George H.W. Bush from 1991 to 1993, Barr in recent months has criticized aspects of the Russia investigation and defended many of Trump's actions, including his dismissal of FBI Director James Comey.

"I did not know him until recently," Trump told reporters Friday. "But he was my first choice since Day One."

If confirmed, Barr would replace attorney general Jeff Sessions, who was dismissed last month by Trump. The president had constantly criticized Sessions' decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation because he had been involved with Trump's campaign in 2016.

Administration officials began circulating Barr's name on Thursday, and senators, including some Democrats, praised the prospective nominee's experience.

Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, who served in the administration of George W. Bush and was a strong supporter of Sessions, called Barr a "superb nomination."

"He (Trump) couldn't have done any better," Mukasey said. "He's a very smart lawyer, has excellent judgment and, most importantly, has done the job before."

In the aftermath of Sessions' firing last month, Mukasey and Barr, ironically, authored a column in the Washington Post with former Attorney General Edwin Meese, lauding Sessions' tenure despite unrelenting pressure from the White House.

"Throughout, Jeff Sessions has set an example of personal grace and dignity under enormous pressure," the three former officials said. "He has remained humble and of good cheer, on good days and bad, and focused on fulfilling the mandate of the administration in which he has served. He has acted always out of concern not for his personal legacy but rather for the legacy of the Justice Department and the rule of law. We salute him for a job well done."

Barr, whose confirmation hearing may not be set until early next year, is still likely to face criticism from opponents who have cited his own criticisms of the Russia collusion investigation and his defenses of Trump's calls for investigations of Democrats. They also noted that Barr ran the Justice Department at the time that President George H.W. Bush pardoned officials in the Iran-Contra affair.

Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee that will host Barr's confirmation hearing, promised that the former attorney general will nonetheless be "thoroughly vetted."

"I have known Bill Barr a long time," Leahy said. "He has a long record in both the private sector and public service that needs to be thoroughly vetted by the Senate. This includes recent, troubling comments about investigations of keen interest to the president who is nominating him."

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., another member of the Judiciary panel, called Barr "an experienced and able lawyer," but also promised that he would be closely questioned.

"I will have questions about his record and positions on pressing issues facing the Department of Justice, particularly his willingness to defend the department’s investigations – including Bob Mueller’s – now looking at the Trumps and Trump cronies," Whitehouse said.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said Trump made a “great choice” in Barr.

“He is a well-respected former U.S. attorney general with a distinguished record of public service,” Goodlatte said. “His intellect, experience and integrity are without question. I urge the Senate to confirm William Barr as the next U.S. attorney general expeditiously.”

Norm Eisen, who chairs the organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), said Senate Democrats are likely to focus on Barr's past statements about Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey and a long-running claim advanced by some Republican lawmakers alleging that the sale of a large uranium company was linked to contributions to the Clinton Foundation.

"He has advanced the bizarre idea that Hillary Clinton's role in the Uranium One deal is more worthy of investigation than Trump-Russia collusion. That is nonsense."

Mueller's team also is investigating whether Trump sought to obstruct justice in the Russia investigation, including via the firing of Comey in 2017.

In an op-ed for The Washington Post shortly after Comey's dismissal, Barr said Trump had the right to fire Comey based on overall performance issues.

"Comey’s removal," Barr wrote, "simply has no relevance to the integrity of the Russian investigation as it moves ahead."

In a sense, Barr would also replace acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, another critic of the Russian probe whom Trump put in place after Sessions' resignation.

While Sessions' departure was expected because of a long-fractured relationship with the White House, Whitaker's installation drew immediate opposition because he lacked Senate confirmation required of other Cabinet officials. Critics have also cited past public statements questioning the legitimacy of the ongoing inquiry into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, a probe headed up by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Since Whitaker’s appointment, Democrats and Republicans – including two former attorneys general who served Republican administrations – have asserted that Trump skirted established rules of succession to install the former Iowa federal prosecutor.

In prior interviews with USA TODAY, Mukasey and Alberto Gonzales, who both served in the George W. Bush administration, aligned themselves with a contingent of legal analysts who assert that the post should have been filled by a Justice Department official who has been confirmed by the Senate.

Whitaker’s appointment also has been the subject of several pending legal challenges. And earlier this week, more than 400 former Justice officials and staffers signed a statement calling for Whitaker’s removal.

Opponents of the appointment have also claimed Trump selected Whitaker to derail Mueller's investigation.

The attacks may have dissuaded Trump from nominating Whitaker to the job full time.

Later Friday, Whitaker appeared with Trump at a law enforcement event in Kansas City, where the acting attorney general lauded the president's appointment as "a continuation of this law and order presidency."

Whitaker said Barr is "supremely qualified, highly respected at the Department of Justice and will continue to support the men and women in blue."

In Barr, Trump is nominating not only a former attorney general but someone who has worked closely with Mueller.

When Barr served as the nation's chief law enforcement officer, Mueller headed the Justice Department's Criminal Division. During that time, they oversaw high-profile investigations into Manuel Noriega, the corrupt former dictator of Panama convicted in 1992 of racketeering, and the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.

"During his tenure, he demonstrated unwavering adherence to the rule of law," Trump said.