The Slatest

Kellyanne Conway Concedes: Donald Trump Will Not Lock Hillary Up

A Trump supporter wears a Hillary for Prison button as he waits in line for a rally where Donald Trump will speak on Oct. 18 in Grand Junction, Colorado.

George Frey/Getty Images

On MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Tuesday, Trump spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway announced that Trump will not pursue criminal charges against Hillary Clinton—reneging on the promise Trump made during the second presidential debate to have a special prosecutor look into Clinton’s activities.

“I think when the president-elect who’s also the head of your party tells you before he’s even inaugurated he doesn’t wish to pursue these charges, it sends a very strong message, tone and content, to [Congressional Republicans],” Conway said.

“I think Hillary Clinton still has to face the fact that a majority of Americans don’t find her to be honest or trustworthy, but if Donald Trump can help her heal, then perhaps that’s a good thing.”

During the second presidential debate, Trump expressed no such interest in helping Clinton heal and very clearly stated his intent to prosecute her:

Trump: If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation. There has never been so many lies, so much deception . There has never been anything like it. We will have a special prosecutor. …

Clinton: … It’s just awfully good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country.

Trump: Because you would be in jail.

Of course, appointing a special prosecutor would have been entirely up to a Trump attorney general; attorneys general are not required to follow a president’s instructions and are not agents employed to simply do a president’s bidding. At least, they are not supposed to be. But that didn’t stop Trump from implying throwing Clinton “in jail” was his call to make, or weaken the chants of “lock her up” that have been a fixture of Trump rallies since at least the Republican National Convention in July. President Donald Trump isn’t even going to try to “lock her up.” He lied. More disappointments for Trump voters are still certain to come.