Washington | Top Justice Department officials have contacted lawyers representing Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein who is serving a prison term for sex trafficking, to address lingering questions about the case that have fuelled a furious right-wing backlash.

Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, announced on social media early on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) that he had requested a meeting with Maxwell, the disgraced former socialite who was Epstein’s loyal co-conspirator and enabler and also interacted with the powerful men he courted – including President Donald Trump.