There are many things that raise serious questions about the meeting between Attorney General Loretta Lynch and the husband of a woman under FBI investigation, namely Bill Clinton.

As I wrote yesterday, Gross appearance of impropriety in AG Lynch private meeting with Bill Clinton:

Neither Lynch nor Bill Clinton are dummies. They both know that such a private meeting creates the appearance of impropriety regardless of what was discussed. Bill Clinton’s wife is being investigated by the FBI — why do you think he dropped in for a chat with Lynch? Of course they didn’t discuss the case. They didn’t need to. If there was no appearance of impropriety, why did Lynch wait until a local news crew, apparently tipped off, asked her about it?

I don’t think enough media focus has been on the non-disclosure. If not for the media tip-off, no one would have known the meeting took place except for Lynch, Clinton, and security details. And none of them are going to go on the record, at least not now.

Most damning part Lynch-Bill Clinton get together didn't announce it until asked at presser https://t.co/FjcHt818SR pic.twitter.com/klF11AmCje — Legal Insurrection (@LegInsurrection) June 30, 2016

One other thing evaded my attention the first time around. There was one other person present, Lynch’s husband.

Take a look back at the original ABC15 report (emphasis added):

The private meeting took place on the west side of Sky Harbor International Airport on board a parked private plane. Former President Clinton was visiting the Phoenix area and arrived to Sky Harbor Monday evening to depart. Sources tell ABC15 Clinton was notified Lynch would be arriving at the airport soon and waited for her arrival. Lynch was arriving in Phoenix for a planned visit as part of her national tour to promote community policing. ABC15 asked Lynch about the meeting during her news conference at the Phoenix Police Department. “I did see President Clinton at the Phoenix airport as he was leaving and spoke to myself and my husband on the plane,” said Lynch.

In my original analysis, I took as a given that nothing improper was said, but took the position that the mere meeting obviously was arranged by Clinton to influence Lynch.

That is a position presumed by many.

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

It’s unimaginable that Lynch would have lied in her press conference, but why should the public, the media and the Congressional committees with oversight over such matters simply take Lynch’s word for it? Isn’t oversight the process not only of finding out information, but also verifying information already disclosed by public officials?

Moreover, more than the words stated matter.

What was the atmosphere? Old friends with a warm greeting suggesting an affinity by Lynch for the Clintons? A professional demeanor? Or anything else that would suggest that beyond the words, the nature of the meeting suggested an improper motive by Clinton?

There are plenty of facts not yet known, that could be disclosed by aggressive media digging (the type applied to Republicans) and congressional subpoenas. There are at least three people with knowledge — AG Lynch, her husband, and Clinton.

Given that the outcome of a presidential election may turn on whether DOJ fairly and impartially evaluates the evidence against Hillary, the public has an enormous stake in finding out every aspect of this almost-off-the-record sit down on the tarmac in Lynch’s private plane between the chief law enforcement officer of the United States and the husband of a presidential candidate under FBI investigation.

Media and Congress, do your jobs.



