Attorney General Jeff Sessions has tasked senior prosecutors with exploring whether alleged misdeeds by Hillary Clinton warrant further investigation, but he pushed back on calls to appoint a special counsel.

The Justice Department disclosed its new tack on Clinton to Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee in a Nov. 13 letter. But if the department's letter seemed to hint it had moved closer to appointing a special counsel for Clinton, Sessions' testimony on Capitol Hill the following day appeared to tamp down these expectations.

Meanwhile, Trump has continued to press the department and FBI to pursue Clinton. The president has been particularly assertive as the investigation into his campaign's ties to Russia has escalated, leading critics to charge that Trump's hectoring is an effort to divert attention from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's findings.

Justice Department weighing Clinton special counsel

The Justice Department's Nov. 13 letter to GOP lawmakers said Sessions had "directed senior federal prosecutors to evaluate certain issues" the committee raised, which includes Clinton's role in approving the sale of Uranium One, and alleged illegal Clinton foundation dealings. (See our explainer on Uranium One here.)

The letter states that prosecutors, who will report directly to Sessions and his deputy, have been told to "make recommendations as to whether any of the matters not currently under investigation should be opened, whether any matters currently under investigation require further resources, or whether any matters merit the appointment of a Special Counsel."

But at a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee the next day, Sessions pushed back one Republican member who argued there is ample evidence to launch a special prosecutor now.

"I guess my main question is, what's it going to take if all of that, not to mention the dossier information, what's it going to take to actually get a special counsel?" said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, referring to allegations that the Clinton campaign financed the controversial Fusion GPS dossier containing derogatory information about Trump.

In a spirited back-and-forth with Jordan, Sessions said "it would take a factual basis that meets the standards of the appointment of a special counsel." He added that the department will "use the proper standards" and "sometimes we have to study what the facts are and to evaluate whether it meets the standard required a special counsel."

At one point Sessions said, " 'Looks like' is not enough basis to appoint a special counsel."

A Justice Department spokesman later said Sessions had been speaking generally about the legal basis for appointing a special counsel, not about a specific case.

Trump's continued calls for Clinton investigation

The motive and timing of the Justice Department's decision to send the Nov. 13 letter to the House Judiciary Committee remains a source of intrigue. The department's stated reason was to respond to the committee's multiple requests for the appointment of a special counsel to look into Clinton and related matters.

But given that the department's response came months after the committee's written requests from July and September, some have wondered whether the department was responding to political pressure not from Republican lawmakers, but from the president.

As we've noted, on May 18, the day Mueller was tapped to investigate the Trump campaign, the president complained on Twitter that a special counsel wasn't appointed for Clinton or what Trump called "illegal acts" during President Barack Obama's administration.

"With all of the illegal acts that took place in the Clinton campaign & Obama Administration, there was never a special counsel appointed!" Trump tweeted May 18.

Trump again tweeted about Clinton hours after the investigation into his campaign's ties to Russia escalated dramatically when Mueller unsealed two indictments and a guilty plea against former campaign officials.

On Oct. 30, Mueller revealed a dozen felony charges, including money laundering, against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and campaign adviser Rick Gates. Hours later, Mueller unsealed a guilty plea by George Papadopoulos for misleading the FBI about his outreach efforts to Russian government officials, including an offer to broker a meeting between then-candidate Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren't Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????" Trump tweeted Oct. 30.

That same week, Trump bemoaned that his position as president prevents him from personally directing law enforcement to aggressively investigate Clinton.

"The saddest thing is that because I am the President of the United States, I am not supposed to be involved with the Justice Department. I'm not supposed to be involved with the FBI," Trump said in a Nov. 2 interview with conservative talk radio host Larry O'Connor.

"I'm not supposed to be doing the kind of things I would love to be doing and I am very frustrated by it," Trump continued. "I look at what's happening with the Justice Department, why aren't they going after Hillary Clinton with her emails and with her dossier and the kind of money? I don't know."

The following day, Nov. 3, Trump tweeted that the American public deserves to see his former political rival investigated, and called on law enforcement to "do what is right and proper."

"Everybody is asking why the Justice Department (and FBI) isn't looking into all of the dishonesty going on with Crooked Hillary & the Dems," Trump tweeted, before adding, "People are angry. At some point the Justice Department, and the FBI, must do what is right and proper. The American public deserves it!"

Ten days later, the Justice Department sent a letter detailing its new focus on Clinton.

For her part, Clinton said the appointment of a special counsel against her would be "an abuse of power."

"I regret deeply that this appears to be the politicization of the Justice Department and our justice system," Clinton said in a Nov. 15 interview with Mother Jones. "This Uranium One story has been debunked countless times by members of the press, by independent experts. It is nothing but a false charge that the Trump administration is trying to drum up to avoid attention being drawn to them."

Trump's promise remains Stalled

New developments related to Trump's campaign promise to appoint a special prosecutor against Clinton have unfolded since our last update in May, but their practical significance remains unclear.

The Justice Department has held open the possibility of appointing a special prosecutor in the future, though its top official has pushed back on calls to do so.

Trump has continued to browbeat the Justice Department and FBI to take a harder line on Clinton, at times when the investigation into his campaign intensifies, and despite his acknowledgement that a president should maintain an arm's length relationship from law enforcement.

The Justice Department is likely to continue facing political pressure from Congress and the president as federal prosecutors assess whether to further investigate Clinton. Despite this, it's far from guaranteed the department will ultimately deliver on Trump's promise. So for now, we're keeping this rating as Stalled.

Correction: A transcription error quoted Sessions as saying, "Looks like there's not enough basis to appoint a special counsel." Sessions' actual quote was " 'Looks like' is not enough basis to appoint a special counsel." We have updated our story to reflect this change, and included a Justice Department statement.