Hillary Clinton's campaign staff discussed her friendliness with Attorney General Loretta Lynch in March 2015, just a few months before the FBI opened a criminal investigation into Clinton's private email use.

The conversation, which was included among the roughly 9,000 emails stolen from the inbox of campaign chair John Podesta that have been published by WikiLeaks, involved a debate over whether Clinton should issue a statement in favor of Lynch's confirmation as attorney general. The process had been held up thanks to a legislative battle over provisions in a human-trafficking bill.

"She knows Loretta. Not an extremely close relationship and don't remember last time they connected," wrote Huma Abedin, vice chair of Clinton's campaign, of the candidate's relationship with Lynch.

"Regardless, definitely a cordial relationship," Abedin wrote.

The FBI's decision to shut down its probe of Clinton without recommending charges for anyone involved, and Lynch's decision to accept that conclusion, rankled Republicans this summer, particularly after Lynch was caught meeting with Clinton's husband just a few days before FBI Director James Comey announced the end of the investigation.

Critics have accused Lynch and the Obama administration of shielding Clinton from prosecution for political reasons. Although Comey concluded the former secretary of state and her aides were "extremely careless" with classified information, none faced any consequences.

At least five witnesses, including two of Clinton's personal attorneys, received immunity deals — two of them provided for the government-sanctioned destruction of evidence that could have implicated subjects.

Other emails revealed members of Clinton's campaign had direct contact with the Justice Department in advance of Freedom of Information Act hearings that could have exposed Clinton's private emails. While such hearings are typically made public, the coordination sparked outrage among critics already skeptical of the Justice Department's alleged affection for the Clinton campaign.