The incoming vice president, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has stated that the president-elect, Donald Trump, will pardon demonstrators who were peaceful on Jan. 6 2021, but he will not pardon those who were violent. 

The Trump administration would "rectify that," according to Vance, who added that many people "were prosecuted unfairly" during the Capitol demonstrations, as the New York Post reported.

“If you protested peacefully on January the 6th, and you’ve had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned."

Vance, 40, made his comments on “Fox News Sunday” about the line Trump will draw, speaking to the incoming administration's intentions.

Promise of a Pardon

For those who were prosecuted in connection with the breach of the Capitol, former President Trump has been clear about his intent and even promised to award pardons "very quickly."

On the other hand, he has also stated that there might be "some exceptions" for behavior that is considered "radical and crazy" during the attack.

During an interview that took place on December 8th, President Trump indicated to the host of "Meet the Press" that the pardons may be granted to those who had pled guilty to assaulting law enforcement officials.

He explained that these individuals "had no choice" because the legal system is "very nasty."

More from Vance

With regard to striking a balance in the implementation of one of Trump's central campaign promises, Vance suggested on the Sunday show that he and the president-elect are on the same page.

"We're very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law and there are a lot of people, we think, in the wake of January the 6th, who were prosecuted unfairly. We need to rectify that," Vance said.

Vance then replied to the criticism that was directed toward his words, with some individuals accusing him of "walking back" assurances that he would pardon anyone who was present at the Capitol on January 6.

“The president saying he’ll look at each case (and me saying the same) is not some walkback,” he posted on X.

Prosecutions

The United States Department of Justice has reported that nearly 1,500 individuals have been accused in the United States for their suspected involvement in the assault as of August.

The number of individuals who had entered guilty pleas to a federal offense was nearly 900, and nearly 950 have been sentenced.

Disorderly conduct, illegal parading, and entering a restricted area comprised the majority of the allegations. Still, there were at least 238 offenses related to assault and 86 related to physical violence.