White House: ‘Not particularly interested’ in discussing Clinton’s personal email

close

Video

Report: Hillary Clinton deleted 32,000 'personal' emails

Problem for the potential presidential candidate?

The White House tried Wednesday to push past the controversy surrounding Hillary Clinton's personal email use, with Press Secretary Josh Earnest telling reporters he's "not particularly interested in" discussing the issue anymore.

Earnest sought to move the scandal out of his wheelhouse, a day after Clinton personally addressed it for the first time, at a press conference in New York City. At that event, Clinton acknowledged she should have used a government account but said she didn't as a matter of "convenience."

Clinton's office also revealed that she deleted thousands of emails that she determined to be personal and private in nature.

Asked if the White House is concerned about that, Earnest stressed that Clinton says she turned over her work-related emails to the State Department.

"But frankly," he said, "the secretary's handling of her own personal email and the maintenance of personal email inbox is something that I'm not going to comment on and not particularly interested in."

Earnest several times referred reporters to Clinton's remarks.

Wednesday's briefing indicates the White House -- after spending the better part of a week answering reporters' questions about the emails -- is eager to move beyond the issue and leave it to Clinton's camp to address.

Clinton's virtual silence on the subject, until Tuesday, reportedly has caused tensions between her operation and the White House. It also caused friction with congressional Democrats, several of whom urged her to speak out about the issue and explain herself.

Now that she has, however, Republican critics have only stepped up their criticism.

Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., who is leading the House committee probing the Benghazi attacks, has said he wants Clinton to turn over her private server -- and plans to have her testify at least twice.

The White House, meanwhile, would not definitively say Wednesday whether they trust Clinton in saying she's turned over all the necessary emails.

Asked if the president believes Clinton's claim that more than 30,000 emails that were not turned over were not work-related, Earnest said: "There's not been any evidence that's been produced to raise any doubts about that."

Asked again, Earnest again said, "There is no evidence that's been marshaled thus far to demonstrate that there should be a lack of trust in that regard."