The Department of Justice seeks an interview with Joseph Mifsud, the Maltese academic who told former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos that the Russians had damaging information about Hillary Clinton, to determine if he was part of an intelligence operation.

U.S. Attorney John Durham, who has been tasked by Attorney General William Barr to lead a review of the origins of the Russia investigation, made an overture to Mifsud’s attorney, Stephan Roh. Little has leaked about Durham’s efforts up until now, other than he began his review in the spring and he wanted to interview at least one senior counterintelligence official and a senior analyst who examined Russia’s role in interfering in the 2016 election.