President-elect Donald Trump vowed repeatedly on the campaign trail to swiftly issue pardons for at least some of the individuals arrested and charged or convicted in relation to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot of 2021, which almost certainly includes all who faced charges for nonviolent alleged crimes.

That would include around 961 individuals, or approximately two-thirds of the nearly 1,600 people arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot by President Joe Biden's Justice Department, according to the Washington Examiner.

This clarification of who may be in line for clemency once Trump takes office follows comments made over the weekend by Vice President-elect JD Vance that drew a distinction between Jan. 6 defendants who engaged in violent or nonviolent activities during the Capitol riot.

Vance draws distinction between violent and nonviolent Jan. 6 defendants

Politico reported that VP-elect Vance, during an interview on "Fox News Sunday," told host Shannon Bream, "I think it’s very simple -- look if you protested peacefully on January 6th, and you had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned."

"If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned. And there’s a little bit of a gray area there," he continued, albeit with further defining that "gray area."

Vance added, "But 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 6th who were prosecuted unfairly. We need to rectify that."

Clarification in response to critical pushback

Following that interview, and after receiving critical pushback from those who want all Jan. 6 defendants pardoned, including those who allegedly engaged in violence after being provoked by informants or undercover federal agents or had faced an unfair trial, the incoming VP took to X to note that he's been "defending these guys for years" and that the Trump administration would examine each case individually.

Vance wrote on X, "I assure you, we care about people unjustly locked up. Yes, that includes people provoked and it includes people who got a garbage trial."

Notably, while President-elect Trump often mentioned his plan to issue pardons for many Jan. 6 defendants once he takes office, he rarely has offered any distinctions on who might be eligible for such clemency

Org supporting Jan. 6 defendants heralds Vance's remarks about pardons

In response to VP-elect Vance's remarks in the interview, he received a strong message of support from the executive director of an organization known as Look Ahead America that has arisen in defense of unjustly prosecuted Jan. 6 defendants.

"After the Biden Administration spent four years politically persecuting patriotic Americans for exercising their First Amendment rights on January 6th, we are heartened by Vice President-elect J.D. Vance’s reaffirmation of the incoming administration’s commitment to restoring justice for these individuals," Matt Braynard said in a statement.

"There are currently 1,593 Americans who’ve been arrested by the Biden Administration’s Department of Justice," he continued. "961 of them have not been charged with any violent acts, and many of those charged with 'violence' face trumped-up or false accusations from corrupt prosecutors."

"J6ers who have gone to trial have endured abuse from prosecutors and judges who willfully based their decisions on documented lies," Braynard stated. "While left-wing protesters who engaged in identical actions during past protests received mere slaps on the wrist, the J6 patriots have faced over-prosecution and -sentencing so egregious that even the Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional."

In reference to Vance's X post, he added, "We applaud J.D. Vance’s commitment to those who, in his words, were 'provoked' or received 'garbage trials.' The new administration represents a rising sun, pushing back the dark night of injustice that America has endured under the Biden Administration."