WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is declining to say whether President Barack Obama has a private email account like one used by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that has sparked a political furor.

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Tuesday aboard Air Force One en route with Obama to Atlanta that the White House doesn't discuss Obama's email account publicly to guard the security of the president's communications. He said, however, that anything Obama sends or receives is preserved, including his emails with Clinton.

Schultz says Obama understands the scholarly value of such material and says the White House abides by rules requiring that email communications be archived.

Obama, in an interview with CBS news Saturday said his emails, including those he receives on his Blackberry, are records that are archived.