Loretta Lynch: 'I Fully Expect' to Accept Clinton Charge Recommendations from FBI

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said she will accept the findings and determinations of an FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was Secretary of State, which would include possible charges if any criminal activity is found.

Lynch's comments followed a private meeting between her and Bill Clinton earlier this week that was criticized by both Republicans and Democrats. Lynch and the former president crossed paths on a Phoenix tarmac Monday and reportedly spoke for about 30 minutes, shortly before a Republican committee released its findings on the 2012 attack in Benghazi.

Their conversation was personal in nature, Lynch said, but the meeting raised questions about Lynch's independence in the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails.

"I certainly wouldn't do it again because I think it has cast this shadow over what it should not, over what it will not touch," Lynch said Friday. "It's important to make it clear that that meeting with President Clinton does not have a bearing on how this matter will be reviewed and resolved."

Investigators are still in the midst of their probe into Clinton's home-brew server and whether she sent or received any information that had been deemed classified at the time.

“The recommendations will be reviewed by career supervisors in the Department of Justice and in the FBI, and by the FBI director, and then as is the common process, they present it to me and I fully expect to accept their recommendations,” Lynch said.

The investigation is expected to be completed before the Democratic National convention this month. Lynch stressed that the query is being handled by "career prosecutors and investigators" and not political appointees.

Image via Chatham House, Flickr, used under Creative Commons