“I cannot answer this question as ... I would have to study the judgment,” Lam said in a media gathering. “But I would not regard something wrong as right for the sake of improving relations [with the Legislative Council].”

She added that society did not regard the legal challenge against the four as a blow to the relationship between the executive and legislative branches of government.

While Lam said she was open to the idea of leading a Legco delegation to mainland China, she admitted that would only be possible when the legal case was closed.

The comments came against the backdrop of Lam’s efforts to improve ties with lawmakers.

At her first question-and-answer session on Wednesday, she won praise for changing the setting by speaking next to instead of in front of the Legco president – regarded as a sign of respect for the legislature – and not picking quarrels as Leung did.

But Law, of Demosisto, was disappointed by her remarks.

“That oath-taking case is a political issue rather than a legal issue,” he said. “If Lam insists on going after lawmakers who are popularly returned by the public, I do not see how the executive-legislative relationship can be improved.”

Critics say allowing mainland immigration officers to operate here would contravene the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, which states that national or mainland laws should not be applied in Hong Kong.

Lam admitted she would not have touched such a thorny issue unless the launch of the railway had not been imminent.

On a lighter note, Lam, who recently launched her new Facebook page, said it was her decision to open it for public comments. Leung, who opened his personal Facebook account in 2015, restricted it to a limited number of people whom he added as friends.

“It is OK to allow [public comments] as I will not read them anyway,” she said.