Will Donald Trump pardon himself and hundreds charged with crimes linked to Jan. 6 Capitol riot?

CHICAGO (WLS) -- What is billed as America's largest-ever criminal investigation is about to come to a screeching halt, before it is finished.

More than 1,500 people already charged with crimes linked to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot could all be pardoned, and new cases stopped when Donald Trump retakes the presidency.

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President-elect Trump has promised to begin rewriting history for those already charged with those crimes, and at least that many more who are still out there.

But the Biden Justice Department continues tracking, arresting and prosecuting people who crashed the Capitol on Jan. 6 and among the targets is Trump, who may pardon himself, along with many others who were involved that day.

The FBI continues to put out new videos from Jan. 6 as Justice Department officials focus on still-unidentified rioters who attacked law enforcement that day.

Two suburban Chicago men are the latest from Illinois to be charged with felonies and misdemeanors. Federal court records have them named in criminals complaints dated Election Day last week.

But, Trump's election that day, could bring a twist of fate that would appear to ensure their good fortune and a stroke of luck for many of those already convicted or under investigation.

Trump has promised to free the so-called political prisoners of Jan. 6.

"He's allowed to do that because he possesses the power of the pardon, which is one of the most powerful tools in the Chief Executive's toolkit that's been allotted to the President by our Constitution," said Juliet Sorensen, director of Loyola University's Rule of Law Institute.

Former federal prosecutor and chief ABC7 legal analyst Gil Soffer predicts Mr. Trump will follow through.

"First, as to the protesters, or the violent protesters who broke the law and have not yet been charged, he can obviously order his department of justice not to bring those charges. If there are cases that are pending that haven't yet been resolved, haven't gone to trial and conviction. He can drop those charges. He can dismiss those cases. And as to those who have already been convicted, he can pardon them. He has that ability across the board. Will he do it? I don't know, but he says that he will, and odds are that he will," Soffer said.

Those wearing Jan. 6 jackets include the president elect himself. Trump will soon have the ability to pardon rioters, police attackers, and himself with any and all crimes associated with the riot.

"It is clear that with every legal challenge that President-elect Trump has faced both criminal and civil his defiance and his characterization of those legal challenges have fueled his support. His fundraising improves in the wake of criminal charges. He characterizes legal efforts against him as political conspiracies. So, to my mind, he is undermining the rule of law and equality before the law. But that does not appear to be the case to many of his supporters," said Sorensen.

Although Trump has taken to calling the riot convicts "J-6 patriots," he has said that if a case involved somebody who was "evil and bad" to use his words, he would look at them differently.

It remains to be seen whether that will include the 18 people charged with seditious conspiracy or those who hit police with brass knuckles, anti-bear spray, flag sticks or carried in knives, axes, swords or guns, in a few cases.