Hillary Rodham Clinton 's silence on the email controversy swirling around her is getting louder by the day . On Monday , the potential 2016 Democratic presidential candidate ignored the issue at a forum while a second Democratic senator urged her to speak out – and predicted she will – about her decision to conduct business while secretary of state in a private email account . Republicans are ramping up their attention on the issue . At the White House , spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama indeed knew she was using a nongovernment account during her tenure . Obama had indicated earlier that he only learned of that from recent news reports . EMAILS ? WHAT EMAILS ? Hillary Clinton did n't address her growing email scandal on Monday as she spoke about global progress on the role of women . SCRIPTED : When Melinda Gates ( left ) , Chelsea Clinton ( center ) and Hillary Rodham Clinton ( right ) participated Monday in the unveiling of a Clinton Foundation report on women 's rights , nothing was left to chance . HE 'LL HANDLE IT : White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday during his press briefing that President Obama exchanged emails with Hillary Clinton at her private , non-government email address . Earnest said the president actually learned from those news reports of Clinton 's privately run email server , but was familiar with her private account earlier because the two had exchanged emails when she was in office . Obama did not know at the time that she was using private email exclusively , Earnest said . Clinton spoke at a carefully choreographed two-hour event involving her No Ceilings project at the Clinton Foundation , highlighting economic and educational opportunities for women and girls . She took no questions . When she sat down to lead more informal conversations with invited speakers , participants appeared to be reading from teleprompters . Clinton is under scrutiny over whether she fully complied with federal laws requiring government officials to preserve written communications involving official business . NODS APPROVINGLY : Former US President Bill Clinton , center , watched from the audience during the 'No Celings ' event in New York . Democrats have defended her but Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California made waves Sunday when she urged Clinton to offer a detailed explanation . 'From this point on , the silence is going to hurt her , ' Feinstein said . On Monday , Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said Clinton will probably address the matter – and should . ' I think that you 're going to hear something from Secretary Clinton this week , ' she said on MSNBC . ' I 'm fairly certain it will be soon . I think that 's very important . ' Last week , Clinton said in a Twitter message that she wanted her emails released by the State Department as soon as possible – but did not address why she does not put them out herself immediately . Clinton 's spokesmen and the State Department have said she never received or transmitted classified information on her private email account , in which case there would be no concerns that disclosure of her messages could compromise national security . The State Department is reviewing 55,000 pages of emails that she has turned over and Republicans in Congress have said they plan to review her email practices .
The White House now says Obama exchanged emails with Clinton at her private , non-government email address while she led State Department . Tightly controlled even did n't provide any unscripted moments . Clinton took no questions frmo the audience . Invited speakers could engage her in conversation but read their comments aloud from teleprompters .