The Department of Defense has appointed Elias Irizarry, who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges for his role in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, to a sensitive position managing highly classified military operations. The move has sparked alarm among Pentagon insiders who question the wisdom of placing someone with his record in such a critical national security role.
Irizarry, 19 at the time of the insurrection, was photographed that day holding a metal pole and wearing a Make America Great Again hat as rioters breached the Capitol building. He later expressed remorse in court, telling the judge he remained "ashamed" of his actions and acknowledged the attack as "the largest assault on our democracy since the civil war." The judge at his 2023 sentencing, Tanya Chutkan, noted his pre-riot background had been commendable but criticized him for failing to intervene to stop the violence despite being positioned to do so.
His conviction resulted in 14 days in jail and a guilty plea to entering and remaining at a restricted building. After his discharge from the Citadel military academy in the wake of the riot, he was later readmitted and graduated in 2024. He subsequently ran unsuccessfully for a South Carolina state legislature seat in a Republican primary.
Irizarry now works in the Pentagon's special operations and low intensity conflict office, specifically with a counterterrorism and irregular warfare team of roughly 40 personnel. That team's portfolio includes embassy security, personnel recovery, and hostage rescue operations, roles that routinely place special operators in extremely dangerous and complex environments overseas.
Pentagon officials have privately expressed dismay at the appointment. One anonymous source told the Washington Post that installing someone so junior, new to the Defense Department, and with such a problematic background into such a sensitive position "raises serious questions for leadership." The person also raised concerns about the implications for rescue and extraction missions where operators face some of their most high-risk deployments.
Pentagon acting press secretary Joel Valdez confirmed the appointment and defended it vigorously. He described Irizarry as "a qualified, patriotic young professional" and attacked the Washington Post journalists who first reported on the hiring, accusing the outlet of caring little for national security and publishing classified information that could damage the nation.
Five people died during or immediately after the Capitol riot. An additional four police officers who responded to the attack died by suicide in the months that followed.
Author James Rodriguez: "The Pentagon's defense of this hire strains credulity, and the fact that Valdez chose to attack the press rather than address the legitimate security concerns tells you everything you need to know about how seriously the department is treating this."
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