Donald Trump speaks during a March 9 campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina. | AP Photo Trump would pursue criminal indictment of Clinton

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — If the Obama administration does not pursue a criminal indictment of Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump’s White House would.

At the end of a friendly town hall interview aired on Wednesday night, Fox News personality Sean Hannity asked Trump whether, as president, he would pursue a criminal indictment of Clinton should Attorney General Loretta Lynch “cover” for Clinton and avoid indicting her.


“You have to,” Trump responded, to uproarious cheering. Though the attorney general serves at the pleasure of the president, Trump’s answer conflicts with 40 years of precedent. His suggestion that he would seek an indictment flies in the face of the longstanding practice of limiting White House involvement in the prosecutorial decisions made by an attorney general.

The FBI is investigating how classified information ended up on Clinton's private email server. Trump often says that he believes the Democrats will cover for Clinton and that she should not be allowed to run for president.