Hillary Clinton will not be getting a pardon from President Obama because she hasn’t applied for one. Clinton must apply to the Office of the Pardon Attorney for executive clemency, according to USA Today. Obama has put a review process in place for those seeking a pardon. A process that will not vary based on the results of the election.

“The process that I put in place is not going to vary depending on how close I get to the election… So it’s going to be reviewed by the pardon attorney, it will be reviewed by my White House counsel, and I’m going to, as best as I can, make these decisions based on the merits, as opposed to political considerations.”

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. [Image by Alex Wong/Getty Images]

The October 9 presidential debate was a memorable one for many. One of the most talked-about moments is Trump’s response to Hillary’s remarks on his temperament.

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

President-elect Donald Trump responded, “Because you’d be in jail.” Trump then said he would get a special prosecutor to look into Hillary’s “situation.” Speculation was high about a possible Clinton pardon before the election. Now that Trump has been elected the next President, many are assuming there is more pressure on Obama to pardon Clinton. However, there is no indication that she has even sought a pardon.

According to USA Today, some pardons have been granted on the grounds of innocence, however, they can also be perceived as a sign of guilt.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest confirmed last week that Obama has maintained his philosophy after the election, according to USA Today.

“I wouldn’t speculate at this point about what impact that may have on hypothetical pardon requests that he receives. I’ll just say that the guidance that President Obama shared with you is still operative.”

Jeffrey Crouch, a professor at American University and author of The Presidential Pardon Power said granting a pardon to Hillary would be incredibly controversial.

“I think he would prefer not to be remembered as the fourth president in a row who abused the clemency power to protect his political associates or supporters. “Granting a pardon to Hillary Clinton would be one of the most controversial and misguided clemency decisions that Obama could make… Pardoning a former member of his administration to spare her from the hassle and embarrassment of judicial prosecution would be against what the framers of the constitution had in mind for the clemency power. It would also violate his pledge not to grant any politically motivated pardons in his last days in office.”

USA Today reported The Office of the Pardon Attorney is putting most of its resources into the clemency initiative, Obama’s strategy to cut short the extensive mandatory minimum sentences imposed during the “war on drugs.”

When asked at Wednesday’s press briefing, press secretary Josh Earnest was asked if Obama has considered utilizing his executive power to grant further pardons, according to the New York Post.

“The president has offered clemency to a substantial number of Americans who were previously serving time in federal prisons… And we didn’t talk in advance about the president’s plans to offer clemency to any of those individuals and that’s because we don’t talk about the president’s thinking, particularly with respect to any specific cases that may apply to pardons or commutations.”

Former CIA Director David Petraeus, convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, and Private Chelsea Manning, all accused or found guilty of mishandling classified government information, have not applied to the Office of the Pardon Attorney as well, according to USA Today.

No charges have been filed against Clinton.

[Featured Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]