President Trump plans to pardon those involved in congressional unrest on his first day in office

Us President-elect Donald Trump has said he will pardon those involved in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot on his first day in office.

In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, Trump was asked when he planned to pardon supporters who carried out attacks in an attempt to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election. "I will act quickly on my first day in office," he replied.

Trump told show host Kristen Welker that there could be some exceptions to his pardon for people who acted radicalized or insane during the attacks. The riot at the Capitol left more than 140 police officers injured and several people dead. "I'm going to look at everything, we're going to look at individual cases," Trump said.

It was Trump's most detailed comment on the issue of pardons since he won the Nov. 5 presidential election. He is due to be sworn in on January 20, and his comments are likely to reinforce the belief that he will act.

In the interview, Trump also expressed regret for those detained for long periods, calling them victims of a "very dirty system."

Suzzanne Monk, a longtime supporter of the defendants in the riot case, told Reuters that Trump's public message was getting closer to asking for forgiveness for all those involved in the Jan. 6 incident.

Weller, a professor at the University of Baltimore Law School, said she was concerned that the amnesty granted to the defendants in the January 6 incident could wrongly encourage people to foment unrest and even violence for the president. "He (Trump) will offer rewards to those who break the law in his name and try to overturn legitimate election results... This is unprecedented."

The investigation into the congressional riot has been called the largest criminal investigation ever conducted in the United States, with at least 1,527 defendants indicted for their alleged involvement in the attack on charges including illegal entry into restricted areas, sedition and violent assault. More than 1,251 defendants have been convicted or pleaded guilty, and 645 have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from a few days to 22 years, according to the Justice Department.

While Trump said he might consider pardons based on the severity of each case, John Pierce, a lawyer who has represented dozens of riot defendants, urged him to grant full pardons to all accused participants.

"I don't know what else you can do," Pearce said.

He noted that in the dozens of cases that have made their way through the legal system, it is difficult to analyze which acts deserve amnesty. "If pardons are granted on a case-by-case basis, I think you'll see a lot of people in the community will be unhappy on January 6."