An impromptu meeting between Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton in Phoenix earlier this week has prompted questions about why Clinton was visiting the Valley.
Sources on Friday told ABC15 Clinton was at an event hosted by Paradise Valley developer Jim Pederson, and also spent time with local Latino leaders.
John Gomez, deputy chief of staff for Supervisor Ruben Gallego, tweeted a photo with Clinton following their Monday meeting.
Honored to participated in a Latino Leaders roundtable w/ President @billclinton today in Phoenix #LatinosOnTheMove pic.twitter.com/RHC0BWa0ao
— John Gomez (@johnvgomez) June 28, 2016
Pederson has not responded to ABC15's request for comment.
Sources told ABC15 Clinton then headed to Sky Harbor Monday evening to depart, when he was notified that Lynch would be arriving for a visit as part of her national tour. The controversial meeting has sparked questions about what the pair discussed.
"I did see President Clinton at the Phoenix airport as he was leaving and spoke to myself and my husband on the plane," Lynch said during her news conference at the Phoenix Police Department. "Our conversation was a great deal about grandchildren, it was primarily social about our travels and he mentioned golf he played in Phoenix."
On Friday, Lynch said she realized how bad that meeting looks in the hours before the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails was released.
"The fact that the meeting I had is now casting a shadow over how people view that work is something that I take seriously and deeply and painfully," she said.
Lynch said she is not personally handling the Clinton investigation and will only be briefed by the Department of Justice and the FBI on their recommended course of action.
