Throughout his successful re-election campaign, President Trump vowed to grant executive clemency to most or all of Jan. 6 defendants who'd been prosecuted and convicted in relation to the U.S. Capitol building riot of 2021.

On his Inauguration Day, Trump signed an order extending commutations and pardons to more than 1,500 Jan. 6 convicts that he asserted have been "treated very unfair" by the former Biden Justice Department, according to the Washington Examiner.

The order was intended to effectuate the immediate release from custody of any recipients of Trump's clemency, but reports indicate that it may take a day or two for everything to be processed and settled before all have been set free.

Trump announces end of "weaponized" DOJ and political persecution

During his Inaugural Address, President Trump did not explicitly mention the Jan. 6 defendants but did call out the politicized and weaponized Department of Justice under his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for its intense focus on identifying, tracking down, and bringing criminal charges against those who'd protested or rioted in and around the Capitol building four years ago.

"Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents -- something I know something about," Trump said in reference to his own experience of being targeted by politically motivated prosecutions. "We will not allow that to happen. It will not happen again."

"Under my leadership, we will restore fair, equal, and impartial justice under the constitutional rule of law," he added.

Clemency for Jan. 6 defendants

A few hours later, in the Oval Office of the White House, President Trump signed several executive orders, including one that he'd often promised to grant pardons and commutations to those convicted of crimes in relation to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

"So, this is January 6th, these are the hostages," Trump said of the order before he signed it, according to Newsweek. "Approximately 1,500 for a pardon. Full pardon ... We have about six commutations in there, where we're doing further research ... We hope they come out tonight, frankly. We're expecting it."

As it turned out, the executive order actually commuted the sentences of 14 individuals, most of whom were members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys groups who'd absurdly been charged and convicted of sedition and conspiracy charges.

As Trump alluded to, those individuals who had their lengthy prison sentences cut short may ultimately receive full pardons for their criminal convictions at a later date.

Commutations for a few, full pardons for most

For everyone else caught up as "political prisoners" in the Biden DOJ's anti-Jan. 6 prosecutorial jihad, President Trump's order granted "a full, complete, and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021."

The order further directed the attorney general to "administer and effectuate the immediate issuance of certificates of pardon" and to ensure that all individuals convicted of Jan. 6-related crimes "who are currently held in prison are released immediately. The Bureau of Prisons shall immediately implement all instructions from the Department of Justice regarding this directive."

Trump's order further instructed the attorney general and DOJ to "pursue dismissal with prejudice to the government of all pending indictments" against Jan. 6 defendants.

The purpose of the executive order was to serve as a "proclamation" that "ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation."