Trump says he will look at pardoning Jan. 6 defendants on first day in office

• His promises have influenced the cases of Jan. 6 defendants, who have cited Trump's words in seeking to delay proceedings until after the president-elect is inaugurated.

Driving the news: "I'm going to be acting very quickly ... First day," Trump said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" with Kristen Welker, committing to the offer of clemency he's floated several times ahead of his White House return.

• "They've been in there for years, and they're in a filthy, disgusting place that shouldn't even be allowed to be open," he said of the imprisonment of his supporters who stormed the Capitol.
• He said he's going to look at "individual cases."

He also told Welker members of the House Jan. 6 select committee "should go to jail," blaming former Rep. Liz Cheney (R- Wyo.) for his legal cases, which have been walked back following his re-election.

• It's not the first time Trump has targeted Cheney with threats of retribution.
• He also named Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the former chair of the committee.

Zoom out: Trump responded to the news of President Biden's pardon of his son, Hunter, by highlighting the prosecution of the "J-6 Hostages" in a Truth Social post earlier this month, accusing the president of "an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!"

Go deeper: Who Trump might pardon as president