Washington, DC, — The ghost of Jeffrey Epstein still stalks America's corridors of power, and it's now splitting the Republican base.

Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted trafficker, is once again in the spotlight. Meanwhile, the White House faces mounting questions, and Congress remains divided over how to proceed.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed on Tuesday that he plans to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell, the former British socialite and Epstein confidante convicted in 2021 of grooming children for sexual exploitation, "in the coming days."

The quiet overture came just days after the Department of Justice doubled down on its conclusion that Epstein had no "client list" and was not murdered in his Manhattan jail cell.

"If Ghislaine Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say," Blanche wrote on X.

“At the direction of Attorney General Bondi, I have communicated with counsel for Ms Maxwell… I anticipate meeting with Ms Maxwell in the coming days.”

But what should have been a footnote in a long-dead case has become political fuel for a fire that won't go out.

A full-throated backlash has erupted from inside the MAGA (Make America Great Again) tent against the DOJ’s findings, against President Donald Trump's own stance, and against the Republican leadership accused of "trying to shut this down."

Meanwhile, Maxwell's lawyer, David Oscar Markus, confirmed negotiations for a meeting are underway.

"She will always testify truthfully," he said. "We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case."

But that "commitment" hasn't calmed the waters.

On Capitol Hill, Republican lawmakers are launching their own Epstein offensive that appears to be at odds with the White House.

The House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations voted to subpoena Maxwell on Tuesday, in a surprise voice vote backed by three Republicans and a lone Democrat.

Congressman Tim Burchett of Tennessee introduced the motion. According to Axios, Burchett "did not consult Donald Trump beforehand."

Oversight Chair James Comer, who greenlit the move, also said he had not informed either Trump or House Speaker Mike Johnson.

"She's the last one standing. There's nobody else alive that can tell us anything ... I'd like to get her there before she's allowed to commit suicide as well. I'm just tired of it," Burchett told reporters.

Even as Trump calls the Epstein controversy a "hoax," ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to release any available grand jury testimony, the narrative continues to ricochet through Washington.

A Wall Street Journal report last week detailing Trump’s social ties with Epstein in the 1990s triggered fresh scrutiny, despite vehement denial by the President.

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Maxwell faces Congress?

The same day as the DOJ's press release, Speaker Mike Johnson accused Democrats of weaponising the Epstein case for political gain.

"The president himself has said that he wants maximum transparency and all credible evidence to be turned over to the American public, so that everyone can make their own decisions. We’re owed that," Johnson added.

Currently, the Speaker is holding off on any action related to the Epstein investigation, even as Republican lawmakers demand a vote. With the legislative schedule in disarray, he's sending the House into recess a day early for a month-long break.

"There’s no purpose for the Congress to push an administration to do something they're already doing," Johnson said on Tuesday.

Jeffrey Epstein, a financier with ties to global elites, was arrested in 2019 for sex trafficking and found dead weeks later in a New York jail, ruled a suicide. Ghislaine Maxwell, his associate, was later jailed for helping him abuse minors.

For now, Maxwell remains in federal prison in Florida, serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking and conspiracy. But the legal fight isn’t over.

Her lawyers have petitioned the Supreme Court, arguing that her prosecution violated a non-prosecution agreement Epstein secured in 2008. The justices are expected to consider the case later this year.

The question, presented in legalese but freighted with political weight, is whether a promise made by one federal prosecutor binds the entire Department of Justice.

It’s the kind of arcane, procedural point that typically draws little attention outside legal circles. But in the context of Maxwell and Epstein, it may drag the scandal — and its political fallout — deep into the fall and beyond.

Blanche was clear that the DOJ’s findings haven’t changed since the last public summary of the case.

"No evidence was uncovered that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties," he said.

But for those on the Hill, that’s not enough.

“This (Maxwell) deposition will help the American people understand how Jeffrey Epstein was able to carry out his evil actions for so long without being brought to justice,” Burchett said in a statement.

That tension between the official line and the undercurrent of distrust is now pushing the Epstein case out of the shadows again.

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