WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (UPI) — As the U.S. Department of State continues to release thousands of pages of former secretary Hillary Clinton’s private server emails, the White House wants some electronic communications between she and President Barack Obama to remain private.
The State Department on Friday released 7,000 additional pages of Clinton’s emails that were kept on a non-government email server while she was the department chief — its sixth and largest mass email release so far this year.
More than half of Clinton’s private server emails have now been released, in accordance with a lawsuit filed under the Freedom of Information Act.
While State officials have been persistent in releasing Clinton’s emails, the White House doesn’t want all of them made public.
Officials rummaging through Clinton’s private server came across the emails between her and Obama, which touched on a range of topics that include Benghazi, Libya, and even the lack of emojis on Clinton’s cellphone, The New York Times reported Friday.
Because more and more emails have been regularly released, White House officials are concerned about the sensitive nature of some of the communiques between Obama and Clinton.
“It is a principle that previous White Houses have vigorously defended as it goes to the core of the president’s ability to receive unvarnished advice and counsel during his time in office and is central to the independent functioning of the Executive Branch,” a White House official told The Times.
In all, the White House is attempting to block the release of a small number of emails — not because of their content, but due to the principle that a president’s communications should be kept confidential.
The State Department apparently forwarded the emails to the White House upon their discovery, at which time administration officials decided not to release them.
“There is a long history of presidential records being kept confidential while the president is in office,” a White House official said.
Private communications involving the president of the United States are not subject to public disclosure by the Freedom of Information Act.