While this type of comment sometimes acts as a diversion so that interviews and negotiations can be managed without too much additional distraction, it is often the case that the person making the comment really does believe that getting into specifics could skew the search process.
Remember, after all, that the Oscars had to reconfigure the nominating process because of voting shenanigans by members trying to heavily skew the ballots in favor of their top choices and against other options.