Axelrod: Lynch, Bill Clinton meeting ‘foolish’

by TheHill.com - 06/30/16 8:49 AM ET

David Axelrod says Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton’s meeting this week was “foolish” given the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server.

While Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Obama, said he took the current attorney general and former president “at their word” that the pair didn’t discuss the investigation, he questioned the outward appearance of the meeting in a tweet:

I take @LorettaLynch & @billclinton at their word that their convo in Phoenix didn’t touch on probe. But foolish to create such optics.

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) June 30, 2016

{mosads}Lynch said her conversation with Bill Clinton at the Phoenix international airport Monday night centered on his grandchildren, describing it as “primarily social.” She said it did not involve the FBI’s investigation of the private email setup Hillary Clinton used when she was secretary of State. But it immediately raised eyebrows when news emerged Wednesday.

“I don’t think it sends the right signal. I think she should have steered clear even of a brief, casual, social meeting with the former president,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said on CNN’s “New Day” on Thursday morning, saying Lynch has “generally shown excellent judgment” in her position.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the Senate majority whip, also noted the potential conflict of interest, tweeting that Lynch “must avoid even the appearance of conflict.”