The House Committee on the Judiciary is investigating whether Attorney General Eric Holder lied to Congress during a May 15 hearing, with one Republican aide close to the investigation telling MailOnline that “perjury is on the table” as one possible outcome of the congressional probe. The Hill reports the panel is looking at a statement Holder made during a back and forth with Rep. Hank Johnson about whether the DOJ could prosecute reporters under the Espionage Act of 1917. Here’s what Holder said:

“In regard to potential prosecution of the press for the disclosure of material — this is not  something I’ve ever been involved in, heard of, or would think would be wise policy,” Holder said during the hearing.

However, NBC News reported last week that Holder personally approved a search warrant that labeled Fox News chief Washington correspondent James Rosen a co-conspirator in a national security leaks case.

The New Yorker’s Ryan Lizza, a bulldog on the DOJ/Fox News secret subpoena story, reports that the effort by the Justice Department to obtain the controversial court order was arduous, contentious and unsuccessful until finally a third judge acquiesced. Such scheming, perhaps, explains a bit of why DOJ insiders are leaking that Holder is “beginning to feel a creeping sense of personal remorse.”