Condoleezza Rice at the 2012 Republican National Conventon. AP Unlike Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice did not use a private email account to conduct official business when she led the State Department.

Business Insider spoke to a source close to Rice following a New York Times report that noted Clinton used a personalized email rather than a government address when she was secretary of state. The source claimed Rice, who was secretary of state under President George W. Bush from 2005 through 2009, barely used email and did not employ a non-government address for official business.

"Secretary Rice rarely used email during her tenure at State. On the very rare occasion she did, her State Department email was the vehicle for official communication," the source said, adding, "She did not use personal email for official communication as Secretary."

The Times article suggested Clinton's use of the private email could have been a violation of federal record keeping regulations. Clinton's team and multiple current and former State Department officials have disputed this. The story gained added attention due to the fact Clinton is widely seen as the Democratic frontrunner in the 2016 presidential race.

Colin Powell, who was Bush's secretary of state from 2001 through 2006, also used a personal email. In a statement that was emailed to Business Insider on Tuesday, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf claimed the current secretary of state, John Kerry, "is the first Secretary of State to rely primarily on a state.gov email account."