Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Sunday that the fallout from her tarmac meeting with former President Bill Clinton William (Bill) Jefferson ClintonEpstein podcast host says he affiliated with elites from 'both sides of the aisle' Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose at Supreme Court Business groups start gaming out a Biden administration MORE was "painful" for her.

"I do regret sitting down and having a conversation with him, because it did give people concern. 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," Lynch said on CNN's "State of the Union."

"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."

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Some have criticized the meeting, which came as the FBI was investigating Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonDemocratic groups using Bloomberg money to launch M in Spanish language ads in Florida The Hill's Campaign Report: Presidential polls tighten weeks out from Election Day More than 50 Latino faith leaders endorse Biden MORE for her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of State.

Lynch rejected the idea that FBI Director James Comey made unprecedented decisions in an effort to combat allegations that the Justice Department was biased in favor Clinton.

The Clinton campaign has cited Comey's decision to send a letter to Congress just days before the election about newly discovered emails as one of the reasons she lost.

"But certainly if Bill Clinton hadn't gotten on the tarmac that time and gone to you, things might have been different," said host Jake Tapper. "You would have had more say. You would have been able to control Comey more ... It might have changed the letter that he gave at the end there."

Lynch replied: "I don't think it would have changed his view of what he had to say or not say to Congress."