If President Trump wanted to jail Clinton, this is how he could do it

"Lock her up!" was a favorite chant at Donald Trump rallies throughout the general election, and now that only a few short months separate him from the White House, he actually has the power to try to do so. Trump even publicly vowed to hire a special prosecutor to go after Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server and claimed that she would "be in jail" if he is elected.

A president can't just throw someone in jail, though. Here's what would need to happen:

By Wednesday morning, Donald Trump's campaign manager still refused to rule out the possibility of Trump appointing a special prosecutor next year. President Obama has the ability to thwart such a scheme, though, by formally pardoning Clinton before he leaves office, which can be done even though she was not charged with any crimes.

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Still, attempting to jail political enemies has long been an indication of failed democracies. "It would be like a banana republic," former attorney general Michael Mukasey, himself an outspoken Clinton critic, told The Washington Post.