The Trump administration has hired Elias Irizarry, a convicted participant in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, for a position within a Pentagon office that oversees highly classified military operations, according to a report from the Washington Post. Irizarry was 19 at the time of the riot and later publicly expressed regret for his involvement, but his appointment has reportedly raised concerns among some Defense Department officials because of the sensitivity of the role. The story highlights ongoing debate over the administration’s approach to January 6 defendants and their place in government service. Critics view the hiring as troubling given the nature of the Capitol attack, while supporters may point to Irizarry’s completed legal consequences and stated remorse.
Posted by Aaron Parnas
Who Is Elias Irizarry? Convicted 6 January Rioter Hired for Pentagon Terrorism Post Despite a ‘Checkered Background’
Despite conviction, Irizarry apologised to victims’ widows, ran for public office, and secured a presidential pardon
Elias Irizarry, a convicted 6 January rioter pardoned in 2025, has been appointed to a highly sensitive counter-terrorism role within the Pentagon Stephanie Keith
Four people familiar with the situation reveal that the Trump administration has brought a convicted 6 January rioter—who subsequently expressed remorse for participating in the US Capitol insurrection— into a Pentagon office handling highly classified military operations.
Irizarry’s Background and Capitol Conviction
Legal documents reveal that when the Capitol was stormed, Irizarry was a first-year student at The Citadel, a public military academy based in South Carolina, while also participating as a cadet within the Civil Air Patrol.
YouTube Screenshot / Queen City News
Irizarry made his way to Washington with two other individuals, ultimately joining the mass of Donald Trump supporters who overwhelmed police cordons to infiltrate the building just as Congress was certifying Joe Biden’s presidential victory. According to legal briefs, he gained entry through a broken window while armed with a metal pole, but he did not use it to hit anyone.
Following a guilty plea to a misdemeanour charge of entering and remaining on restricted government property, Irizarry received a two-week jail sentence, according to legal records.
According to those legal records, Irizarry had attended Trump’s speech at the Ellipse before winding up at the Capitol entirely by chance, moving quickly afterwards to distance himself from the day’s events.
However, the presiding judge pointed out that Irizarry failed to intervene at pivotal moments during the unrest, notably standing by when one of his travel partners, Grayson Sherrill, used a rod to hit a police officer. Sherrill received a seven-month prison sentence in 2023 following a guilty plea for assaulting federal agents.
Retired, living in the Scottish Borders after living most of my life in cities in England. I can now indulge my interest in all aspects of living close to nature in a wild landscape. I live on what was once the Iapetus Ocean which took millions of years to travel from the Southern Hemisphere to here in the Northern Hemisphere. That set me thinking and questioning and seeking answers.
In 1998 I co-wrote Millennium Countdown (US)/ A Business Guide to the Year 2000 (UK) see https://www.abebooks.co.uk/products/isbn/9780749427917
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