In a tongue-in-cheek exchange with a reporter, State Department spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday that he was not obligated to answer any questions he did not want to.
"I don’t have to answer the question that you ask," Kirby said. "I just have to respond the way I want to."
The quip was instigated after Kirby was asked once again on Tuesday whether the State Department still believes Clinton did not send or receive any classified documents over her private email server.
"It is still our view that we have no indication that any of the emails that have been upgraded…" Kirby said before he was interrupted by the reporter, unsatisfied with Kirby’s answer.
The reporter told Kirby he already "screwed it up."
Officials from the State Department announced it has flagged 305 emails from the server for a federal investigator to determine whether it should be deemed classified. The emails consist of 5.1 percent of the emails inspectors have reviewed already. Two "top secret" emails concerning drone use have already been found on Clinton’s server, prompting an FBI investigation into its security.
The State Department still defended Clinton, however. Kirby maintained that Clinton’s original statement from March about classified information remained true, and that the former secretary had done nothing wrong.
"We still have no indication that any of the emails were classified at the time they were sent, or necessarily should have been known to be classified when they were sent," Kirby said.