Loretta Lynch says that the backlash from Donald Trump and his supporters following her impromptu meeting with Bill Clinton on a Phoenix tarmac in June was “painful” for her.
“I wish I had seen around that corner and not had that discussion with the former president, as innocuous as it was, because it did give people concern,” Lynch told CNN in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN. “It did make people wonder, ‘is it going to affect the investigation that’s going on?’ And that’s not something that was an unreasonable question for anyone to ask.”
Shortly after her meeting, Lynch said she regretted the meeting, and she repeated that in the interview with CNN.
“I do regret sitting down and having a conversation with him, because it did give people concern,” she said. “And as I said, my greatest concern has always been making sure that people understand that the Department of Justice works in a way that is independent and looks at everybody equally.”
Watch part of the interview via CNN:
Lynch on meeting with Bill Clinton: “I do regret sitting down and having a conversation with him” #CNNSOTU https://t.co/0oWnF12Str
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) December 18, 2016
