White House officials said Tuesday they don’t know for certain whether former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s private email system violated federal law, but they expressed no concern about the revelation.
“I come down wherever the State Department’s attorney comes down,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest when asked by a reporter if Mrs. Clinton’s secret email system broke any laws. “I know that Secretary Clinton’s team has indicated that they complied with” the law.
He did say White House employees are advised to use their official government email address to conduct government work.
“That is the guidance we give to employees,” Mr. Earnest said, adding that most employees don’t have a “team” like Mrs. Clinton did to review their emails for compliance with the law.
The New York Times reported Monday that Mrs. Clinton used a personal email address while serving as Secretary of State, raising questions about whether she complied with requirements to preserve communications pertaining to her official duties.
The personal email account, and lack of a government account, was discovered by a House committee investigating the Benghazi attack after it sought Mrs. Clinton’s emails about the episode.
SEE ALSO: Hillary Clinton didn’t use government email account as secretary of state: Report
Mr. Earnest said the State Department has the duty to maintain emails of its employees.
“It’s the responsibility at the agency level for compliance to be determined,” he said. “Ultimately it’s their policy to implement.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.