March 7, 2015, 10:34 AM | In an interview with CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante, President Obama answers questions about the private email system that Hillary Clinton used for official government business while she was secretary of state. More of Plante's interview with the president will be broadcast on CBS' "Sunday Morning" and "Face the Nation" Sunday, March 8, 2015. ||||| Washington (CNN) Former President Bill Clinton is staying out of the controversy over Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email address on a private server. 
 
 Asked by CNN's Dan Merica on Sunday in Miami whether his wife has been treated fairly, Clinton said: "I'm not the one to judge that. I have an opinion but I have a bias." 
 
 "I shouldn't be making news on this," he said. 
 
 Clinton's comments come as other Democrats call on Clinton to answer questions about why she took the unusual approach to email, which had the effect of giving her extraordinary control over what later became public record and what remained private. 
 
 Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, said that Clinton's status as the "pre-eminent political figure" in American politics requires her to explain herself. 
 
 "She needs to step up and come out and say what the situation is," Feinstein said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "From this point on, the silence is going to hurt her." 
 
 President Barack Obama weighed in, too, saying he's "glad" that Clinton has asked the State Department to release the 55,000 pages of emails she submitted -- after selecting the ones related to her official business. 
 
 "The policy of my administration is to encourage transparency, which is why my emails, the BlackBerry I carry around, all those records are available and archived," Obama said in an interview with CBS News. "I'm glad that Hillary's instructed that those emails about official business need to be disclosed." 
 
 Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was largely responsible for the overhaul of the State Department to modern computer technology, took a pass at criticizing Clinton's private email use. 
 
 "I had my own email account and the reason I did it was because we were fundamentally changing the information system at the State Department. We needed to open it up and bring it into the 21st century," he told CNN on Sunday. 
 
 He declined to comment on Clinton's use of private emails. 
 
 "That is for Mrs. Clinton to talk about," he said. 
 
 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Hillary Clinton, a former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state, is looking to become the country's first female President. Hide Caption 1 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Before she married Bill Clinton, she was Hillary Rodham. Here she is attending Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. She graduated in 1969 and spoke at the commencement ceremony. After Wellesley, she attended Yale Law School. Hide Caption 2 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Rodham was a lawyer for the Rodino Committee, whose work led to impeachment charges against U.S. President Richard Nixon in 1974. Hide Caption 3 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight In 1975, Rodham married Bill Clinton, whom she met at Yale Law School. He became the governor of Arkansas in 1978. In 1980, the couple had a daughter, Chelsea. Hide Caption 4 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Arkansas' first lady, now using the name Hillary Rodham Clinton, wears her inaugural ball gown in 1985. Hide Caption 5 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons celebrate Bill's inauguration in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1991. He was governor from 1983 to 1992, when he was elected President. Hide Caption 6 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Bill Clinton comforts his wife on the set of "60 Minutes" after a stage light broke loose from the ceiling and knocked her down in January 1992. Hide Caption 7 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight In June 1992, Clinton uses a sewing machine designed to eliminate back and wrist strain. She had just given a speech at a convention of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union. Hide Caption 8 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight During the 1992 presidential campaign, Clinton jokes with her husband's running mate, Al Gore, and Gore's wife, Tipper, aboard a campaign bus. Hide Caption 9 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton accompanies her husband as he takes the oath of office in January 1993. Hide Caption 10 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons share a laugh on Capitol Hill in 1993. Hide Caption 11 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton unveils the renovated Blue Room of the White House in 1995. Hide Caption 12 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton waves to the media in January 1996 as she arrives for an appearance before a grand jury in Washington. The first lady was subpoenaed to testify as a witness in the investigation of the Whitewater land deal in Arkansas. The Clintons' business investment was investigated, but ultimately they were cleared of any wrongdoing. Hide Caption 13 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons hug as Bill is sworn in for a second term as President. Hide Caption 14 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The first lady holds up a Grammy Award, which she won for her audiobook "It Takes a Village" in 1997. Hide Caption 15 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons dance on a beach in the U.S. Virgin Islands in January 1998. Later that month, Bill Clinton was accused of having a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Hide Caption 16 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton looks on as her husband discusses the Monica Lewinsky scandal in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 26, 1998. Clinton declared, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." In August of that year, Clinton testified before a grand jury and admitted to having "inappropriate intimate contact" with Lewinsky, but he said it did not constitute sexual relations because they had not had intercourse. He was impeached in December on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. Hide Caption 17 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The first family walks with their dog, Buddy, as they leave the White House for a vacation in August 1998. Hide Caption 18 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight President Clinton makes a statement at the White House in December 1998, thanking members of Congress who voted against his impeachment. The Senate trial ended with an acquittal in February 1999. Hide Caption 19 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton announces in February 2000 that she will seek the U.S. Senate seat in New York. She was elected later that year. Hide Caption 20 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton makes her first appearance on the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee. Hide Caption 21 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Sen. Clinton comforts Maren Sarkarat, a woman who lost her husband in the September 11 terrorist attacks, during a ground-zero memorial in October 2001. Hide Caption 22 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton holds up her book "Living History" before a signing in Auburn Hills, Michigan, in 2003. Hide Caption 23 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton and another presidential hopeful, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, applaud at the start of a Democratic debate in 2007. Hide Caption 24 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Obama and Clinton talk on the plane on their way to a rally in Unity, New Hampshire, in June 2008. She had recently ended her presidential campaign and endorsed Obama. Hide Caption 25 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Obama is flanked by Clinton and Vice President-elect Joe Biden at a news conference in Chicago in December 2008. He had designated Clinton to be his secretary of state. Hide Caption 26 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton, as secretary of state, greets Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during a meeting just outside Moscow in March 2010. Hide Caption 27 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons pose on the day of Chelsea's wedding to Marc Mezvinsky in July 2010. Hide Caption 28 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight In this photo provided by the White House, Obama, Clinton, Biden and other members of the national security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in May 2011. Hide Caption 29 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton checks her Blackberry inside a military plane after leaving Malta in October 2011. In 2015, The New York Times reported that Clinton exclusively used a personal email account during her time as secretary of state. The account, fed through its own server, raises security and preservation concerns. Clinton later said she used a private domain out of "convenience," but admits in retrospect "it would have been better" to use multiple emails. Hide Caption 30 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton arrives for a group photo before a forum with the Gulf Cooperation Council in March 2012. The forum was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hide Caption 31 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Obama and Clinton bow during the transfer-of-remains ceremony marking the return of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, who were killed in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012. Hide Caption 32 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton ducks after a woman threw a shoe at her while she was delivering remarks at a recycling trade conference in Las Vegas in 2014. Hide Caption 33 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton, now running for President again, performs with Jimmy Fallon during a "Tonight Show" skit in September. Hide Caption 34 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton testifies about the Benghazi attack during a House committee meeting in October. "I would imagine I have thought more about what happened than all of you put together," she said during the 11-hour hearing. "I have lost more sleep than all of you put together. I have been wracking my brain about what more could have been done or should have been done." Months earlier, Clinton had acknowledged a "systemic breakdown" as cited by an Accountability Review Board, and she said that her department was taking additional steps to increase security at U.S. diplomatic facilities. Hide Caption 35 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders shares a lighthearted moment with Clinton during a Democratic presidential debate in October. It came after Sanders gave his take on the Clinton email scandal. "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about the damn emails," Sanders said. "Enough of the emails. Let's talk about the real issues facing the United States of America." Hide Caption 36 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton is reflected in a teleprompter during a campaign rally in Alexandria, Virginia, in October. Hide Caption 37 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton walks on her stage with her family after winning the New York primary in April. Hide Caption 38 of 39 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight After Clinton became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee, this photo was posted to her official Twitter account on Tuesday, June 7. "To every little girl who dreams big: Yes, you can be anything you want -- even president," Clinton said. "Tonight is for you." Hide Caption 39 of 39 
 
 Also on Sunday, the former U.S. ambassador to Kenya who claims he lost his job in part for using Gmail says there "may have" been an unfair double-standard now that Clinton's use of a personal email address on a private server has been revealed. 
 
 "As I've reflected on it in the last couple of days, it does appear like there was a different standard that was used in my case and that has been used in hers," Scott Gration, the former Air Force general and ambassador, told CNN's Michael Smerconish on "State of the Union." 
 
 Gration said he accessed Gmail because it allowed him to get breaking news alerts and news of possible terrorist activities "faster than it came through the official channels." 
 
 "So for me, it was very important to have access to the different services that I had subscribed to in the embassy," Gration said. 
 
 Gration, who flew 274 combat missions over Iraq as a fighter pilot and served as Obama's special envoy to Sudan, left his job as U.S. ambassador to Kenya in 2012 after an inspector general's report hammered his management style and his use of a personal email address. 
 
 Clinton's use of a personal email address on a private server was first publicly revealed last week, and has led to accusations that she's tried to keep some emails from becoming public records. 
 
 "To find out that in reality, other people in the department, to include my supervisors, were doing things differently and were looking the other way, I think that's hard," Gration said.
– President Obama says he learned Hillary Clinton was using a home-grown email account while she was his secretary of state at "the same time everybody else learned it—through news reports." His comments came via an interview with CBS airing this morning, though the New York Times notes that the president failed to address the elephant in the room: How he could have failed to notice that his top diplomat was emailing from a clintonemail.com domain rather than state.gov? He continues: "The policy of my administration is to encourage transparency. And that's why my emails through BlackBerry that I carry around—all those records are available and archived." As to whether Clinton's private email furthered that transparency, Obama said, "I’m glad that Hillary’s instructed that those emails about official business need to be disclosed" and "the fact that she is going to be putting them forward will allow us to make sure that people have the information they need." Meanwhile, CNN reports that Bill Clinton weighed in on the brouhaha—by not exactly weighing in. "I'm not the one to judge that. I have an opinion but I have a bias. I shouldn't be making news on this." Added Sen. Dianne Feinstein, an unabashed champion of a Clinton 2016 run, speaking this morning on Meet the Press: "She needs to step up and come out and say what the situation is. From this point on, the silence is going to hurt her."