With Mr. Benvenuto included in the leak queries, the F.B.I. questioned Michael Bahar, a previous House Intelligence Committee employee who had entered into personal practice in May 2017. The interview, conducted in late spring of 2020, did not yield evidence that led to charges.Prosecutors also enhanced efforts to learn who had actually dripped product associated to Michael T. Flynn, Mr. Trumps first national security adviser. Details about discussions he had in late 2016 with the Russian ambassador at the time, Sergey I. Kislyak, appeared in report in early 2017 and ultimately assisted trigger both his ouster and federal charges versus him. The discussions had actually likewise been thought about extremely categorized since the F.B.I. had actually used a court-authorized secret wiretap of Mr. Kislyak to keep track of them.But John Ratcliffe, the director of nationwide intelligence and close ally of Mr. Trumps, appeared to damage the leak inquiry in May 2020, when he declassified records of the calls. The licensed disclosure would have made it harder for prosecutors to argue that the newspaper article had actually hurt national security.Separately, one of the district attorneys whom Mr. Barr had actually directed to re-examine the F.B.I.s criminal case versus Mr. Flynn interviewed at least one police authorities in the leakage investigation after the transcripts were declassified, a relocation that an individual acquainted with the matter labeled politically fraught.The biweekly updates on the leakage examinations between leading officials continued. Julie Edelstein, the deputy chief of counterintelligence and export control, and Matt Blue, the head of the departments counterterrorism section, briefed John C. Demers, the head of the National Security Division, and Seth DuCharme, an official in the deputy chief law officers office, on their development. Mr. Benvenuto was associated with instructions with Mr. Barr.Mr. Demers, Ms. Edelstein, Mr. Blue and Mr. Benvenuto are still at the Justice Department. Their continued presence and management roles would appear to ensure that Mr. Bidens appointees, consisting of Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, would have a full understanding of the examinations.