消息人士周四告诉ABC新闻，五年前的一次关键参议院听证会是联邦调查前美国联邦调查局主任詹姆斯·科米的中心。
据知情人士透露，他在2020年9月与参议院司法委员会的立法者至少有两次交流正在接受审查。
消息人士称，检察官正在调查科米在确认之前的国会证词时是否撒谎，他从未授权向媒体泄露消息。科米几乎是因为新冠肺炎·疫情而出现的。
“2017年5月3日，在这个委员会中，格拉斯利主席直截了当地问你，你是否曾在与特朗普调查或克林顿调查有关的新闻报道中成为匿名消息来源?你发誓回答说:“决不。”他接着问你，“你有没有授权美国联邦调查局的其他人在关于特朗普调查或克林顿政府的新闻报道中充当匿名消息来源?”你再次信誓旦旦地回答说，没有。现在，正如你所知，为你工作的麦凯布先生已经多次公开表示，他向《华尔街日报》泄露了信息，你直接知道这件事，而且你直接授权了这件事。麦凯布先生说的和你向委员会作证的不可能都是真的。这个或那个是错误的。谁在说实话?”得克萨斯州共和党参议员特德·克鲁兹问科米。
“我只能对我的证词说话。我袖手旁观你总结的我在2017年5月给出的证词，”科米回应道。
“那么你的证词是你从未授权任何人泄密?麦凯布先生，如果他说相反，不是说实话，是这样吗?”克鲁兹问道。
“再说一遍，我不打算描述安迪的证词，但我的证词今天也一样，”科米回应道。
联邦检察官分别调查了科米和参议员乔希·霍利(Josh Hawley，R-Mo)之间的一次交流，科米表示，他无法回忆起2016年9月发给他的一份情报文件。
共和党人表示，他的回应引发了一个问题，即调查俄罗斯干预2016年大选是否是希拉里·克林顿竞选团队推动的一项战略的结果。情报官员对那份文件的真实性提出了质疑。
周三，检察官决定他们将无法说服陪审团，科米在任何一次交易中故意提供虚假证词。
尽管他们在周一的一份备忘录中向唐纳德·特朗普总统任命的美国律师林赛·哈利根(Lindsey Halligan)通报了他们的决定，但消息人士告诉美国广播公司新闻(ABC News)，她仍打算继续推进并寻求对科米的起诉。
Federal probe into James Comey centers around 2020 Senate testimony: Sources
A key Senate hearing from five years ago is the center of the federal probe into former FBI Director James Comey, sources told ABC News Thursday.
At least two exchanges he had with lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee in September of 2020 are being scrutinized, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Prosecutors are investigating whether Comey, who appeared virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lied when he affirmed prior congressional testimony that he never authorized leaks to the media, the sources said.
"On May 3rd, 2017, in this committee, Chairman Grassley asked you point blank, have you ever been an anonymous source in news reports about matters relating to the Trump investigation or the Clinton investigation? You responded under oath, 'Never.' He then asked you, 'Have you ever authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports about the Trump investigation or the Clinton administration?' You responded again under oath, 'No.' Now, as you know, Mr. McCabe, who works for you, has publicly and repeatedly stated that he leaked information to the Wall Street Journal and that you were directly aware of it and that you directly authorized it. Now, what Mr. McCabe is saying and what you testified to this committee cannot both be true. One or the other is false. Who's telling the truth?" Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, asked Comey.
"I can only speak to my testimony. I stand by the testimony you summarized that I gave in May of 2017," Comey responded.
"So your testimony is you've never authorized anyone to leak? And Mr. McCabe, if he says contrary, is not telling the truth, is that correct?" Cruz asked.
"Again, I'm not going to characterize Andy's testimony, but mine is the same today," Comey responded.
The federal prosecutors separately investigated an exchange between Comey and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo, in which Comey said he could not recall a September 2016 intelligence document he had been sent.
Republicans said his response raises questions as to whether the investigation of Russia's interference in the 2016 election was a result of a strategy pushed by Hillary Clinton's campaign. Intelligence officials have raised doubts regarding the validity of that document.
On Wednesday, prosecutorsdeterminedthey would be unable to convince a jury that Comey knowingly gave false testimony in either exchange.
While they informed President Donald Trump's appointed U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan of their determination in a memo on Monday, sources told ABC News that she still intends to press forward and seek an indictment of Comey.
