In a true “where do they find these people” scenario, Elias Irizarry, a convicted January 6th rioter, was just hired by the Defense Department to work in an office responsible for special operations and counterterrorism deployment.

Irizarry was hired by the department’s Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict office, which performs duties such as embassy security, personnel recovery, special reconnaissance, and hostage rescue. Appointees to this office are required to have top-secret security clearance. Irizarry was a freshman at The Citadel Military Academy when, on Jan. 6, 2021, he entered the Capitol building through a broken window.

Because of this, he was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; knowingly engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in any restricted buildings or grounds; and violent entry and disorderly conduct on U.S. Capitol grounds. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of entering and remaining in a restricted area or grounds. He was sentenced to 14 days in jail and $500 in restitution for this offense.

Elias Irizarry’s Backstory

When he was a teenager, Irizarry attended a township meeting in Montclair, New Jersey, his hometown, where the local council designated Montclair a “Welcoming Community.” At the meeting, he told the council that “We need to put Montclair citizens first, not undocumented foreigners.” In 2020, he entered The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, where he promptly earned a gold star for achieving a 3.7 grade-point average.

On Jan. 6, 2021, Izizarry traveled to Washington, D.C with two friends to attend President Trump’s rally at the Ellipse. Afterward, the three of them marched to the Capital, where he climbed scaffolding to the upper West terrace and directed other rioters up the stairs to gain access to the building. He entered through a broken window, carrying a metal pole he purportedly never used. While inside, he stood by as one of his friends, Grayson Sherrill, hit a police officer with a pole.

At the time of his arrest, Izizarry showed no remorse, but his tune changed at his sentencing hearing. There, he apologized to the widows of the law enforcement officers who died as a result of the attacks that day. His statement to the court included the following admission. “I am ashamed because I will always be a part of this disgrace.” He was one of the more than 1,500 individuals linked to the Jan. 6 riot who received a pardon from Trump on his return to office.

Irizarry was suspended by The Citadel in 2022 but was reinstated and graduated in 2024. He also ran unsuccessfully for Congress in House District 43, which includes parts of York and Chester counties in South Carolina. He lost in the Republican primary by almost 45 points to state Rep. Randy Ligon. Oddly enough, his father is the well-known soap opera actor, Vincent Irizarry.

Pentagon Post

It’s still unknown who recommended Irizarry for his position. Acting Pentagon press secretary, Joel Valdez, defended the move, saying that Irizarry is “a qualified, patriotic young professional, and we are proud to have him as a political appointee at the Department of Defense.” He joins a section of the office with roughly 40 people. Their responsibilities include operations such as embassy security, personnel recovery, and hostage rescue.

The appointment of Irizarry to a post in the Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict office has raised internal alarms among staff, who question how a convicted rioter who was part of an action that was a major threat to our democracy could be trusted in such a high-security role in the Defense Department. All who commented on this decision did so anonymously due to fear of retaliation.