Responding to a question about the New York Times story on the subject, press secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday that he wasn't "aware of any plans that the president has to make public any information about this." | AP Photo White House: No plans to release Area 51 information

President Barack Obama doesn't have plans to release information about Area 51, even after Hillary Clinton said she would as president make files on the Nevada Air Force base public.

Responding to a question about the New York Times story on the subject, press secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday that he wasn't "aware of any plans that the president has to make public any information about this."


"I have to admit that I don’t have a tab on my briefing book for Area 51 today," Earnest joked. When a reporter joked that the file had been taken out of his book, he said: "Maybe it has. Part of a grand conspiracy."

The Times' story noted multiple interviews in which the Democratic front-runner expressed a desire to release information, including one in which she commented, "I want to open the files as much as we can.”

Earnest pointed out that Obama has previously joked about having access to information about Area 51 as one of the perks of the presidency.

“I don’t know whether or not he has availed himself of that opportunity. But if we have more on this, we’ll let you know,” Earnest said.