WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Pentagon appointed Elias Irizarry, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building during the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection, to a position in the Department of Defense’s office of special operations and low-intensity conflict. The office manages highly classified military operations related to embassy security, personnel recovery, and hostage rescue.
Irizarry was 19 at the time of the insurrection and a student at the Citadel military academy in Charleston, South Carolina. He was sentenced to 14 days in jail and discharged from the Citadel. At his 2023 sentencing, he expressed remorse, saying: "I am ashamed because I will always be a part of this disgrace. January 6th represented something truly horrible; it was the largest attack on our democracy since the civil war." U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan noted in court filings that Irizarry’s record before the riot was "quite commendable" and offered to write him a letter to help him reapply to the Citadel. She also criticized him for failing to stop the violence despite being in a position to do so.
Irizarry was readmitted to the Citadel and graduated in 2024. That same year, he ran unsuccessfully in a Republican primary for the South Carolina state legislature. Joel Valdez, the Pentagon’s acting press secretary, confirmed and defended Irizarry’s appointment, calling him a "qualified, patriotic young professional" and stating, "we are proud to have him as a political appointee at the Department of War." Valdez also criticized the Washington Post, saying: "Unlike Mr Irizarry, the Washington Post does not care about national security given its track record of low-tier reporters publishing and soliciting classified information that could hurt our nation on a daily basis."
Still, Irizarry’s appointment has raised concerns. An anonymous source described the decision as troubling, stating: "To put someone so junior and new to DoD, and with such a checkered background, into such a sensitive portfolio raises serious questions for leadership." Pentagon officials expressed dismay that someone involved in the January 6 attack had been placed in a national security role. The Washington Post first reported the appointment. It remains unclear who was responsible for selecting Irizarry for the position.