President-elect Trump 'most likely' to pardon J6ers on Day 1, says he will not instruct DOJ, FBI to target political opponents

In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press released Sunday morning, President-elect Donald Trump said he will "most likely" pardon individuals charged in connection with the January 6 Capitol protests in his first days in office. He also reiterated that he would not instruct the FBI or Department of Justice to target political opponents.

Trump stated that he would act "very quickly" on his first day in office to issue pardons to those incarcerated over January 6, describing their conditions as "living in hell."

“They’ve been in there for years, and they’re in a filthy, disgusting place that shouldn’t even be allowed to be open,” Trump said.

According to NBC News, at least 1,572 people have been charged in connection with January 6, with over 1,251 convicted or pleading guilty. Approximately 645 defendants have been sentenced to incarceration, ranging from several days to 22 years. 

Trump acknowledged that there might be exceptions to pardons, stating, "If somebody was radical, crazy," they would not be pardoned. The president-elect did not rule out pardoning those who pleaded guilty, arguing that "they had no voice." Many traded guilty pleas for lesser sentences.

“I know the system. The system’s a very corrupt system,” Trump explained. “They say to a guy, ‘You’re going to go to jail for two years or for 30 years.’ And these guys are looking, their whole lives have been destroyed. For two years, they’ve been destroyed. But the system is a very nasty system.”

Trump went on to accuse members of the January 6 Committee of destroying evidence to promote a certain narrative about the events that unfolded that day, referencing claims by House Republicans earlier this year that the committee deleted and hid records. Trump singled out former committee members Liz Cheney and Bennie Thompson, stating, “Honestly, they should go to jail.” However, he clarified that he would not direct his FBI director or attorney general to prosecute them, leaving such decisions to law enforcement. NBC's write-up of the exchange focused on Trump saying that the members of the January 6 committee "should be in jail."

When asked about his potential FBI director, Kash Patel, investigating figures he has accused of corruption, Trump said Patel would have an obligation to pursue wrongdoing but insisted he would not direct such actions. Trump reiterated that he is "not looking to go back into the past" regarding investigations into President Joe Biden and said he would not instruct his attorney general, Pam Bondi, to launch probes.

“I’m looking to make our country successful. Retribution will be through success,” Trump said. 

Further, he also addressed special counsel Jack Smith, who brought federal charges against him that were later dropped after the election. Trump described Smith as "very corrupt" but emphasized he would leave any decision to investigate Smith up to Bondi, saying he wants “her to do what she wants to do” and is “not going to instruct her to do it.”