Republicans are increasingly divided over the issue of whether members of Donald Trump's presidential campaign made illegal contact with Russia and if a special prosecutor should be appointed over Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate such allegations. 
 
 Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told “Fox News Sunday” that he has confidence in Sessions, a Trump campaign supporter and former Alabama senator, and his judgment. 
 
 “If he wants to investigate this under the Department of Justice, that’s his prerogative,” Lewandowski said. “I have the utmost confidence in Attorney General Sessions. If he believes there is something there, he will investigate that. I think he is completely capable and competent to do so. … and I would leave it in his hands.” 
 
 Lewandowski’s comments follow California Rep. Darrell Issa telling HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” on Friday that neither Sessions nor a deputy, who would both be Trump appointees, should handle such a probe. 
 
 On Sunday, Issa, a Trump supporter and a former chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, told Fox News that Trump is “a president whom I trust” but that a special prosecutor should handle the probe so Americans can feel assured. 
 
 “Openness and transparency are the best way,” Issa said. 
 
 The U.S. intelligence committee has concluded that Russia meddled in the 2016 White House race, in which Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton, whose campaign was the target of an email hacking. 
 
 Trump has denied a connection to Russian President Vladimir Putin. And Lewandowski on Sunday denied “never, ever" having had contact with Russian officials or having knowledge of anybody on the campaign doing so. 
 
 Former Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn acknowledged talking to a Russian diplomat before becoming Trump’s national security adviser. However, he was forced to resign a few weeks ago for not telling Vice President Pence about the call. 
 
 White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Sunday on ABC's "This Week" that dicussions about Sessions or a special prosecutor wouldn't be appropriate until congressional committees complete their investigations. 
 
 Also on Sunday, Arkansas GOP Sen. Tom Cotton, a Trump supporter and member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, cautioned against immediate calls for a special prosecutor. 
 
 "I think that's way, way getting ahead of ourselves,” Cotton said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "There are no allegations of any crime occurring. There's not even an indication that there's criminal investigations under way by the FBI.” 
 
 However, Cotton left open the possibility of deciding in the future about using a special prosecutor into the matter. 

 WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is dodging questions about whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions should consider withdrawing from the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. 
 
 A prominent Republican, California Rep. Darrell Issa, has called for a special prosecutor and said it would be improper for Sessions to lead the investigation as the nation's chief law enforcement official. Sessions was an early supporter of President Donald Trump's candidacy. 
 
 Deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is steering clear of directly answering whether the former Alabama senator should step aside from overseeing the bureau's investigation. 
 
 She tells ABC's "This Week" that congressional committees need to complete their own investigations, and then it would be appropriate to discuss Sessions' role. 
 
 But those are separate reviews, independent of the FBI's work. 

 In this Friday, Feb. 24, 2017 photo provided by HBO, guest Rep. Darrell Issa, right, R-Calif., speaks on a panel with host, Bill Maher, left, and guest Fran Lebowitz, contributing editor, Vanity Fair,... (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican congressman has called for a special prosecutor to investigate whether Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election and was in touch with President Donald Trump's team during the campaign. 
 
 Rep. Darrell Issa (EYE'-suh) of California says it would be improper for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to lead the investigation. 
 
 Issa made the comments Friday on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher." 
 
 Issa said: "You're right that you cannot have somebody — a friend of mine, Jeff Sessions — who was on the campaign and who is an appointee. You're going to need to use the special prosecutor's statute and office." 
 
 It's unclear whether Issa would have any influence on Sessions. Issa supported Trump during the election, but barely held onto his own seat in November.
– Republicans disagree on whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions should investigate allegations that Russia interfered with the 2016 presidential election. What lawmakers and others are saying: On Friday, California Rep. Darrell Issa told Bill Maher a special prosecutor should be appointed for the probe since Sessions is a Trump appointee and worked on Trump's campaign, the AP reports. On Sunday, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton told NBC's Meet the Press that it's "way, way getting ahead of ourselves" to talk about a special prosecutor, and former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told Fox News that it's Sessions' "prerogative" to run the investigation under the Department of Justice and if he decides to do so, Lewandowski has the "utmost confidence" in him. Also on Sunday, the White House "dodged" the question of whether Sessions would recuse himself from a potential investigation, the AP reports. On ABC's This Week, deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders would only say that it's not appropriate to discuss Sessions' potential role until congressional committees complete their own investigations into the matter. Democrats are pushing for an independent investigation into whether Russia communicated with Trump's campaign during the election, Reuters reports. Nancy Pelosi said Sessions must recuse himself from any such investigation.