The case of Jeffrey Epstein, sex offender and former friend of the president, has blown up into a major headache for the White House.

Donald Trump’s intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard ranted about a “coup” supposedly launched by Barack Obama at a White House briefing on Wednesday as the Trump administration returns to the “Russiagate” investigation as a lifeline for an embattled president.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the national intelligence director, Tulsi Gabbard is responsible for guarding America’s secrets and discovering threats from overseas. But when she made a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room Wednesday, her targets were President Donald Trump’s political enemies.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday that the Department of Justice wants to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend. Maxwell was convicted in 2020 of helping the disgraced financier sexually abuse underage girls and is currently serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will brief reporters Wednesday afternoon as the Trump administration wades through controversy around its handling of the probe into disgraced