WASHINGTON — A man who was found guilty of participating in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot has been appointed to a position within the Pentagon’s policy division by the Trump administration, according to government officials and internal documentation.
Acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez defended the hiring decision in a social media statement this week, saying “Mr. Elias Irizarry is a qualified, patriotic young professional, and we are proud to have him as a political appointee.”
The Washington Post initially broke the story of Irizarry’s appointment. He was found guilty in 2023 on a misdemeanor trespassing count following the attack on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. Court records indicate he expressed remorse during his 2023 sentencing, which resulted in a two-week jail term.
According to internal Pentagon documentation shared with The Associated Press, Irizarry has been placed within the office of the undersecretary of defense for policy. This department is responsible for delivering national security guidance and assistance regarding military strategy and planning to the defense secretary.
Valdez’s statement did not specify the duration of Irizarry’s employment, and the Pentagon refused to share additional details.
Sen. Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, expressed outrage on social media, writing: “This administration thinks a convicted Jan. 6 rioter should be doing that kind of work?????”
Court documentation reveals that Irizarry was 19 years old and attending his freshman year at the Citadel military college in South Carolina as a Civilian Air Patrol cadet when he participated in the Capitol attack. The records indicate he entered through a damaged window, went into a conference room, carried a metal pole throughout the Capitol building, and photographed the scene before departing.
In a court document, prosecutors stated: “Because of his training, Irizarry was undoubtedly aware of the safety threat posed by a mass of angry rioters to the Congressional members and staff inside the building.”
Irizarry entered a guilty plea to the misdemeanor trespassing charge in October 2022. In March 2023, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan imposed a 14-day jail sentence.
During his sentencing hearing, Irizarry addressed the judge, saying he brought “great shame upon myself, my family and even my country,” according to court transcripts.
“The idea of Americans being willing to fight other Americans and tear down the very institutions that millions of other Americans sacrificed and built and protect is horrible. It is something I have to live with being a part of,” he stated.
Irizarry is not alone among January 6 riot participants who have secured positions in the Trump administration.
Former FBI agent Jared Wise, who faced charges for joining the crowd, was brought on at the Justice Department last year as an adviser to the department’s pardon attorney.
Wise was undergoing trial in Washington when Trump resumed office in January and issued pardons, reduced sentences, or ordered case dismissals for nearly all 1,600 individuals charged in connection with the attack. Wise’s case was dropped before jury deliberations concluded.
In April, he posted on social media about his resignation from the department, explaining: “I returned to Washington to fully expose the abuses by the FBI and DOJ against J6 defendants, but it became clear that this will only happen from outside of government. So I left and will do so.”
