Secretary of State John Kerry's spokesman downplayed Wednesday's news that Hillary Clinton emailed classified information after leaving her post at the State Department, by noting that the message was redacted at the "lowest level of classification."

"This information was redacted for release according to the Freedom of Information Act, which is our responsibility, and it was classified at the confidential level, which as you know is the lowest level of security classification," spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Clinton emailed diplomats and aides about a nuclear energy agreement pertaining to the United Arab Emirates, months after she left office, according to the New York Post. Republicans cited the email as evidence that Clinton "clearly can't be trusted with our nation's security."

But Kirby argued that Clinton's actions were normal. "Is it unusual for prior secretaries of state to communicate with current staff, particularly not long after they've left? Absolutely, that's not unusual at all," the spokesman said. He added that "foreign government information often can be maintained on unclassified systems" under State Department rules.