ADVERTISEMENT Coons said he has been "impressed" by Lynch and her work since taking over the helm of the Justice Department last year, despite her meeting with Clinton. "She has generally shown excellent judgment and strong leadership of the department, and I'm convinced that she is an independent attorney general," he said.

The pair met Monday night at the airport in Phoenix, with Lynch telling reporters that the pair discussed grandchildren, describing it as "primarily social."

Lynch said the pair did not discuss the Clinton email investigation or the House Benghazi panel's investigation, which was released the following day.

Pundits also ripped the meeting, with MSNBC's "Morning Joe" co-host Joe Scarborough saying the pair showed "extraordinarily bad judgment" and co-host Mika Brzezinski asking sarcastically, "And they didn't talk about it?"