US: Trump will not pursue charges against Clinton: aide

By Esra Kaymak Avci

WASHINGTON (AA) – President-elect Donald Trump will not pursue charges against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server, his former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said Tuesday.

"I think when the president-elect, who's also the head of your party, tells you before he's even inaugurated that he doesn't wish to pursue these charges, it sends a very strong message, tone, and content to the members [Republicans]," Conway told the MSNBC network.

Trump made the potential prosecution of Clinton a big part of his campaign.

In an interview with CBS News shortly after he won the presidential election, Trump was asked if he would go through with pledge to prosecute Clinton. He said he would consider it but did not want to "hurt" Clinton and her family who he described as "good people”.

Instead, he said his focus as president would be on creating jobs, health care, immigration and securing the country’s border.

An FBI probe found Clinton was careless in handling classified materials but the bureau decided not to prosecute.

A separate federal investigation is ongoing into the Clinton Foundation established by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, to determine if the couple used the non-profit organization to benefit financially.

According to Conway, Trump is considering many issues as he prepares to become the next president Jan. 20 and "things that sound like the campaign are not among them".

Meanwhile, Trump Foundation, a charity owned by the president-elect, admitted to the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) that it violated a law that prohibits the heads of non-profit organizations from self-dealing -- to take the charity’s money for personal use -- according to The Washington Post.

Trump Foundation's IRS tax filings for 2015 indicates that it transferred "income or assets to a disqualified person," the report said, and stressed that Trump could be that person.

If authorities find Trump violated the law, the foundation could face penalties, including excise taxes or a requirement that charity leaders repay the money the charity used, according to the report.