Transcript for Trump wanted to prosecute Hillary Clinton, James Comey

latest on the Mueller investigation. After a stunning "The New York Times" report that president trump wanted to order the justice department to prosecute Hillary Clinton and former FBI director James Comey, but apparently backed off after his white house counsel warned him that could lead to impeachment. Our chief white house correspondent Jon Karl has the story. Reporter: The chant lock her up has long been a fixture of trump political rallies, thousand this report says the president actually wanted his justice department to make it happen. The president told the top lawyer in the white house that he wanted the justice department to prosecute Hillary Clinton and former FBI director James Comey, according to "The times" report. That is something trump vowed to do during the height of the 2016 campaign. If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation. It's just awfully good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country. Because you'd be in jail. Reporter: And more recently he talked about going after Comey, who he fired in may of 2017. What he did was horrible. Should he be locked up, let somebody make a determination. Reporter: "The times" reports white house counsel don mcgahn scuttled the president's request to prosecute Clinton and Comey, instead mcgahn had the white house legal team write a memo warning that prosecuting political enemies could have grave consequences for the president, possibly including impeachment for abuse of power. These come as president trump is already under attack from Democrats for the forced resignation of Jeff sessions as attorney general and the appointment of Matt Whitaker who has expressed serious skepticism of the Mueller investigation. The white house has had no comment on "The times" report and a lawyer for don mcgahn said he wouldn't comment on the advice he offered the president although mcgahn's lawyer noted that the president never actually went forward with this saying Mr. Mcgahn would point out the president never to his knowledge actually ordered anyone to prosecute Hillary Clinton or James Comey. No comment from the white house on that but the white house has submitted those answers from president trump to the questions from special counsel Robert Mueller. We're learning a bit more about the questions, as well. Reporter: Yeah, they've answered at least some of the question, George and submitted those according to the white house legal -- the president's legal team. What we know is that the questions that they answered were regarding collusion between the campaign and the Russians, but nothing about the president's activities after he became president and nothing on the critical question of obstruction of justice. Jon Karl, thanks very much.

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