Two years before Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell in connection with a scandal that will not die, he and her defense attorney David O. Markus traded stories about surreal moments visiting clients behind bars.

A senior administration official confirms to NBC News that Ghislaine Maxwell was granted limited immunity by the Justice Department in order to answer questions about the Jeffrey Epstein case. This type of immunity allowed Maxwell to answer questions from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche without fear that the information she provided could later be used against her in any future cases or proceedings.