Attorney General Loretta Lynch, whose agency is investigating Hillary Clinton's email practices, spent about 30 minutes meeting with President Clinton while both of them were separately passing through Phoenix.
Clinton had landed ahead of the nation's top law enforcement officer, and waited for her arrival, a local affiliate ABC15 reported.
Lynch was in town for an event on community policing.
Clinton learned of her arrival, and decided to wait so they could meet, sources told the station.
'I did see President Clinton at the Phoenix airport as he was leaving and spoke he to myself and my husband on the plane,' Lynch said at a press conference when asked about the prolonged chat, which took place aboard a jet on the tarmac.
But she indicated it had nothing to do with the controversies swirling around the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate.
'Our conversation was a great deal about grandchildren, it was primarily social about our travels and he mentioned golf he played in Phoenix,' Lynch said.
Lynch's husband apparently was along for the trip as well.
The tarmac talk took place at Sky Harbor International Airport
The Monday meeting also occurred just hours before House Republicans released their report on the Benghazi attacks.
The report was critical of Clinton's actions during the 2012 attack, although release of the report was well beyond the control of the attorney general's office.
But the two did find talk about some stunning news of the day, such as Great Britain's vote to withdrawal from Europe.
'There was no discussion on any matter pending before the Department or any matter pending with any other body,' she said. 'There was no discussion of Benghazi, no discussion of State Department emails.
'By way of example I would say it was current news of the day, the Brexit decision and what it would mean,' she said.
