President-elect Donald Trump has signalled he wants to move on from the controversy over rival Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.

Speaking at a meeting with the New York Times, Mr Trump said "no" when asked if he would rule out investigating his Democratic opponent over her family's charity or her use of the server while she was secretary of state.

But he went on to say he did not want to "hurt the Clintons" and added: "I'm not looking to go back through this."

October: Clinton 'should be in jail over emails'

One of his aides earlier also said he does not want to pursue further investigations into Mrs Clinton, who was investigated twice by the FBI, which recommended no charges be brought against her.

"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," Kellyanne Conway said.


The comments mark a contrast with the President-elect's rhetoric on the campaign trail, when he called Mrs Clinton "Crooked Hillary" and hit out at the Justice Department for refusing to prosecute her.

12 Nov: Trump says Hillary 'couldn't have been nicer'

Mr Trump told her face-to-face at a presidential debate that if he won the election, she would "be in jail".

Ms Conway suggested the disparity between Mr Trump's taunts on the campaign trail and his approach now is part of a deliberate shift away from at least the tone, if not the substance, of his past rhetoric.

"I think he's thinking of many different things as he prepares to become the president of the United States and things that sound like the campaign aren't among them," she said.

Donald Trump continues cabinet talks

In other developments:

:: At the meeting with the Times Mr Trump said he was keeping an "open mind" on the issue of climate change, and said he thinks there is some connection between global warming and human activity.

:: He also denied Steve Bannon, his choice for the role of chief strategist, was a racist or right-wing extremist. In addition, he condemned an alt-right conference at the weekend where some members performed a Nazi salute and yelled: "Hail Trump!"

:: White House spokesman Josh Earnest has confirmed that President Barack Obama has spoken with his successor at least once since their Oval Office meeting in the aftermath of Mr Trump's victory. However, he declined to discuss any details.

:: Mr Trump seems to have changed his tune on his predecessor as well. He told The Times that he had a "great meeting" with President Obama and added: "I really liked him a lot." Mr Trump constantly criticised Mr Obama during the campaign, saying he was unfit to be President.

:: On Twitter Mr Trump said he was "seriously considering" retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson as the head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Mr Carson has let it be known he is not interested in being considered for a role in the Trump administration.

:: Mr Trump has suggested UKIP leader Nigel Farage should be appointed as the UK's ambassador to the US, something that has been dismissed out of hand by Downing Street.

:: The President-elect said on Tuesday he would withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, as he updated Americans on his White House transition.