The Trump administration has tapped a convicted participant in the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach for a role inside the Pentagon’s office that oversees special operations and irregular warfare, raising questions about vetting standards in a sensitive national security post.
Elias Irizarry, who was 19 when he joined the attack on the U.S. Capitol, now holds a position in the Defense Department’s Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict (SO/LIC) office, according to a report Tuesday in The Washington Post. The Pentagon confirmed the hire, with acting press secretary Joel Valdez defending Irizarry as a “qualified, patriotic young professional” and adding that the department is “proud to have him as a political appointee.”
Valdez took a swipe at the newspaper, saying the Post “does not care about national security given its track record of low-tier reporters publishing and soliciting classified information.”
Irizarry works specifically in the irregular warfare and counterterrorism section of SO/LIC, which oversees the deployment of special operations forces for missions including counterterrorism, counterproliferation, and special reconnaissance, as well as sensitive access programs linked to U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM).
Court records show Irizarry drove from South Carolina to Washington for then-President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021. At the time, he was a freshman at The Citadel, a military college, and a member of the Civil Air Patrol. The FBI identified him via security footage entering the Capitol through a broken window. He later pleaded guilty to entering and remaining in a restricted building and received a 14-day prison sentence.
Prosecutors noted that after his arrest, Irizarry showed little remorse and instead focused on identifying who “backstabbed” him by reporting him to authorities. However, at his 2023 sentencing, he disavowed his actions, calling Jan. 6 “the largest attack on our democracy since the Civil War” and saying he was “ashamed” to be part of “this disgrace.”
Following his guilty plea, The Citadel suspended Irizarry, but he was later readmitted and graduated. He ran for a South Carolina state House seat in 2024 but lost the Republican primary by more than 44 points to incumbent state Rep. Randy Ligon.
The appointment comes amid ongoing debates about security clearances and political appointees in defense roles. Critics argue that placing someone with a criminal record for storming the Capitol into a counterterrorism post undermines the integrity of the Pentagon’s mission. Supporters, including the Trump administration, frame it as a second-chance hire of a patriotic young American.
In related developments, the administration has faced other staffing controversies. Earlier this year, GOP senators were stunned by Trump’s choice of Housing Chief Pulte to lead intelligence, and Democrats blasted the pick as unqualified. Meanwhile, the Pentagon continues to navigate internal tensions over political appointments and operational security.
