Former President Bill Clinton — whose wife is currently in the crosshairs of the Justice Department over her use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state — met privately with Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Monday.
The meeting was a chance encounter as the two crossed paths at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, according to Lynch.
“As I was landing, he was headed out,” Lynch said at a press conference Wednesday. “He did come over and say hello and speak to my husband and myself.”
They talked about grandchildren, golf, travel, former Attorney General Janet Reno, the Brexit vote “and things like that,” according to Lynch.
How Clinton Donor Got on Sensitive Intelligence Board Clinton Leads Trump on Orlando Massacre Response, Trust to Handle Terrorism (POLL)The chat lasted about 30 minutes, according to ABC News affiliate KNXV-TV in Phoenix, which first reported the meeting.
"There was no discussion on any matter pending before the department or any matter pending with any other body. There was no discussion of Benghazi, no discussion of State Department emails," Lynch said at another press conference Tuesday.
Asked Wednesday whether it was appropriate to meet with the former president while the Justice Department and FBI continue their investigation into Democratic presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton, Lynch insisted the meeting would have no impact on the federal probe.
“It’s being handled by career investigators and career agents, who always follow facts and the law and do the same thorough and independent examination in this matter that they’ve done in all,” she said Wednesday in Los Angeles. “So that’s how that’ll be handled.”
The FBI is in the final stages of its investigation into how Hillary Clinton and her aides handled classified information when she was secretary of state. The investigation stems from her use of a private email server for official correspondence. The FBI will make a recommendation to the Justice Department about whether anyone should face charges, and then Lynch will have the final say.