"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."

Some have criticized the meeting, which came as the FBI was investigating  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.