Donald Trump won't try to prosecute Hillary Clinton, advisor says
Donald Trump will not honor his pledge to have his Justice Department go after Hillary Clinton, his top advisor says.
“I think when the president-elect … tells you before he’s even inaugurated that he doesn’t wish to pursue these charges, it sends a very strong message,” transition adviser, Kellyanne Conway told MSNBC.
Conway made the comments when asked if Trump would also encourage the GOP-led Congress to forgo potential investigations of Clinton.
But later in the day Monday, during a meeting with the New York Times, Trump did not rule out the possibility of his administration investigating Clinton.
During the campaign, Trump directly told Clinton that he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate her, accusing her of committing many crimes.
“I hate to say it, but if I win I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation,” Trump said during the second presidential debate.
“Because there has never been so many lies, so much deception.”
Trump frequently claimed that Clinton broke the law with her use of a private email server as secretary of state.
The FBI looked into whether she or her aides mishandled classified information and concluded no one should be charged.
But Trump proclaimed that Clinton was “guilty as hell”.
But Trump started to back off the pledge to investigate Clinton after he won the election.
“I’m going to think about it,” he said in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes.”
As president, Trump would supposedly be independent of the Justice Department and the criminal investigations it pursues.
The news comes as large parts of Melbourne's CBD was shut down for a rally of about 40 far-right Trump supporters, with businesses saying it cost them thousands of dollars in lost revenue.
An AAP photographer was assaulted at the rally, with a Trump supporter shoving his camera into his face and leaving cuts and bruises.
Despite 1000 people saying they would attend the United Patriots Front rally on Facebook, only about 40 showed up to celebrate at Parliament House on Sunday.
"Everybody seems to forget the corrupt crony capitalism that is destroying the working class," UPF leader Blair Cottrell told the Trump-supporting huddle.
"And a transfer of wealth from the middle class of the west to the middle class of the developing world."
Businesses lining Spring St struggled to get customers in and out due to the heavy police presence.
Con Christopoulos, from The European restaurant, told AAP he estimated the protests would cost him thousands of dollars in lost trade.
"We were told but we didn't realise the enormity of (the police response)," Mr Christopoulos told AAP.
"On a Sunday, mostly all customers are walk ins."
A counter-rally of hundreds of anti-Trump supporters was separated two blocks down the street, with protesters shouting "no racists, no fear".
The anti-Trump rally was organised in response to the UPF's planned rally.
