CNN’s Jake Tapper grilled outgoing Attorney General Loretta Lynch for her notorious tarmac meeting with former President Bill Clinton in June, while agencies under her supervision were investigating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.
The interview, which aired Sunday, is part of series of public statements Lynch is making as she prepares to turn the Department of Justice over to Sen. Jeff Sessions, who President-elect Donald Trump has nominated to succeed her.
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“It didn’t cross your mind that sitting there like ‘Oh somebody’s going to make a big deal about this?’” he asked. (RELATED: Loretta Lynch Responds To Attacks From Clinton Campaign)
“I do regret sitting down and having a conversation with him, because it did give people concern,” Lynch responded. “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. And when you do something that gives people a reason to think differently, that’s a problem. It was a problem for me. It was painful for me, and so I felt it was important to clarify it as quickly and as clearly and as cleanly as possible.”
Tapper went on to quote Trump’s transition team senior advisor Kellyanne Conway, who suggested Lynch’s meeting with Clinton corroborated the perception that “a different set of rules for elites like the Clintons.”
He also asked if her subsequent recusal from supervising the investigation also compromised her ability to manage FBI Director James Comey, who Clinton stalwarts have accused of inappropriate political interventions in the election.
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