Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson called for President Obama to pardon Hillary Clinton before he leaves the White House, the Daily Mail reported Thursday.
Jackson, who spoke at an anti-racism rally at the University of Michigan on Wednesday, insisted that while Clinton did nothing illegal, Obama should pardon her so the country could heal and come together.
Jackson urged Obama to follow the lead of President Gerald Ford, who pardoned Richard Nixon of any crimes he may of committed with his involvement in the break in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate hotel.
"It would be a monumental moral mistake to pursue the indictment of Hillary Clinton," Jackson said. "Hillary Clinton has not been tried, but there are those who want to drag her for the next three years. It will not stop until they find a reason to put her in jail. That would be a travesty."
The FBI has recommended not pursing criminal charges against Clinton for her use of a personal email server during her time as secretary of state.
During a White House press briefing last week, spokesman Josh Earnest said that the president has refused to rule out issuing a pardon to protect Clinton from being prosecuted by the incoming Donald Trump administration.
"I wouldn't speculate at this point about what impact that may have on hypothetical pardon requests that he receives. I'll just say that the guidance that President Obama shared with you is still operative," Earnest said.
Clinton has so far not applied for a presidential pardon.