The Pentagon has hired Elias Irizarry, who pleaded guilty to entering the US Capitol during the January 6, 2021 attack, as a special assistant in a sensitive Department of Defense policy office. Irizarry served 14 days in jail and was later pardoned by Donald Trump on the first day of his second term in 2025. His appointment — reportedly in a role that may require Top‑Secret clearance — has prompted concern within the Pentagon about security risks. Irizarry has expressed remorse for his actions, and a judge remarked on his potential for rehabilitation.
Pentagon Appoints Convicted Jan. 6 Attendee To Sensitive Policy Role, Prompting Internal Concern
Elias Irizarry, who pleaded guilty to participating in the Jan 6, 2021 Capitol riot, has been employed as a special assistant to the assistant secretary of defence
The Pentagon has hired Elias Irizarry — who pleaded guilty to entering the US Capitol during the January 6, 2021, attack — as a special assistant in a Department of Defense policy office, a move that has drawn scrutiny from officials inside the department.
Who Is Elias Irizarry?
Irizarry, who was 19 at the time of the Capitol breach, now serves as a special assistant to Derrick Anderson, the assistant secretary of defense who oversees the military’s special operations and low‑intensity conflict policy office, according to CBS. Reports say the position can require access to highly classified information and may demand a top‑secret security clearance.
A screenshot from surveillance video shows Elias Irizarry crawling through a broken window into the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021
What Happened On January 6
Prosecutors say Irizarry travelled to Washington to attend former President Donald Trump’s "stop the steal" rally and then entered the Capitol through a shattered window, spending roughly 27 minutes inside. Authorities say he walked into a conference room and the rotunda while carrying a metal pole. He pleaded guilty to one count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; his attorney said he went inside looking for an acquaintance.
Plea, Sentence And Pardon
Irizarry was sentenced to 14 days in jail. On the first day of President Trump’s second term in 2025, he was among those issued pardons for convictions connected to the Capitol riot.
Elias Irizarry sits in a Capitol Building office during the Jan 6, 2021 riots
Joel Valdez, the acting Pentagon press secretary, confirmed Irizarry’s employment and called him "a qualified, patriotic young professional," writing on X that the department is "proud to have him as a political appointee at the Department of War."
Internal Concerns
The appointment has raised alarms inside the Pentagon. A source who spoke to The Washington Post warned that placing someone so junior, newly employed at the Department of Defense and with a "checkered background" into a portfolio that covers rescue and extraction missions "raises serious questions for leadership," given the potential impact on operators working in complex, dangerous environments.
Remorse And Sentencing Remarks
During his sentencing hearing, Irizarry apologised to police officers and expressed deep remorse. A transcript viewed by CBS records him saying his actions "brought great shame upon myself, my family and even my country."
Judge Tanya Chutkan described sentencing Irizarry as "one of the most difficult I have had of the January 6th cases," noting his youth and what she called a "commendable" background and encouraging him to make something "very remarkable" of his life.
The episode underscores a broader debate about balancing rehabilitation and second chances with the security risks of placing individuals with past convictions into sensitive government roles.
Help us improve.
