On Thursday, top Justice Department officials interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein’s.

But just days before, the same department asked the Supreme Court justices to reject her appeal seeking to overturn her conviction for assisting Mr. Epstein’s alleged crimes.

The moment highlights the awkward position of the department that prosecuted Ms. Maxwell as it seeks to curb criticism that federal officials have hidden information about Mr. Epstein’s case, including his links to famous and well-connected figures.

Prosecutors had previously argued in court that Ms. Maxwell had been dishonest in her accounts of her interactions with Mr. Epstein, and she has made it clear that she wants her freedom.

Ms. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for charges related to sex trafficking. She has long denied any knowledge or participation in Mr. Epstein’s abuse of teen girls and young women. She filed a petition to the Supreme Court in April, asking the justices to overturn her 2021 conviction for conspiring to sexually abuse minors.

The Epstein saga was recently reignited by the Trump administration’s public announcement that it would not release files related to the investigation into Mr. Epstein, something long promised by the president and his allies.