President Obama's chief spokesman said Monday that the White House bore no responsibility for ensuring that Hillary Clinton didn't violate federal ethics rules, including stopping her from allegedly providing special access to Clinton Foundation donors while she was secretary of state.

Josh Earnest, President Obama's press secretary, said he would not "get into" debating the propriety of Clinton's interactions with Clinton Foundation donors while she served as the nation's top diplomat.

"There is an agreement that was in place … that did go above and beyond standard ethics agreements as it relates to the family's Clinton Foundation," he said.

"The responsibility for enforcing the ethical guidelines falls with ethics attorneys at the State Department," he added. "This is how it works with every agency."

New emails from a top Clinton aide released Monday show that a coal company executive who donated $250,000 to the Clinton Foundation was seeking special access to Clinton while she was secretary of state.

The email exchange between the donor and Clinton confidante Huma Abedin is just the latest evidence of Clinton Foundation donors' special access to Clinton while she was in the government. Critics argue the emails show that she provided special access, violating an ethics agreement the foundation set up with the Obama administration to guard against such conflicts of interest.