(CNN)Two senior Republican senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee referred the author of a dossier detailing Russian interference in the 2016 election to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution over potential false statements made to federal authorities about distributing information from the dossier.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, whose subcommittee has held several Russia-related hearings, said in a statement they were referring ex-British agent Chris Steele for what they described as "potentially false statements about the distribution of claims from the dossier."

The criminal referral from Grassley and Graham appears to be the first that's tied to any of the congressional committees investigating Russian election meddling.

"I don't take lightly making a referral for criminal investigation. But, as I would with any credible evidence of a crime unearthed in the course of our investigations, I feel obliged to pass that information along to the Justice Department for appropriate review," Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said in the statement Friday.