President Obama knew about the personal email address Hillary Clinton used while she was Secretary of State, the White House spokesman said Monday, but he was unaware of the private email server she ran out of her home or the extent of its usage.
Obama had previously said he learned of Clinton’s exclusive use of private email while at the State Department “the same time everybody else learned it.” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told ABC News on Monday that Obama was referring to Clinton’s apparently lack of compliance with State Department rules by not submitting the communications as formal records for nearly six years.
“Yes, he was aware of her email address. He traded emails with her,” Earnest said. “But he was not aware of her personal email server or that she was using it exclusively for all her business.”
MORE: Republicans in Congress Focus on Possible Gaps in Hillary Clinton Emails
Earnest would not say how frequently Obama and Clinton exchanged emails, only that he “would not describe the number [of emails] as large.”
Revelations about Clinton’s use of private email have become the presumptive Democratic presidential frontrunner’s biggest political headache to date, and multiple reports have indicated she’s likely to address the matter publicly soon. She recently called for the release of the 55,000 emails her aides handed over to the State Department, though her camp has said about 10% of the emails on her private server were personal and not turned over.
[ABC]
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Caitlin Clark Is TIME's 2024 Athlete of the Year
- Where Trump 2.0 Will Differ From 1.0
- Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You?
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Write to Nolan Feeney at nolan.feeney@time.com