Overview
- The Pentagon confirmed Tuesday that Elias Irizarry is serving as a political appointee in the Department of Defense’s Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict office in the irregular warfare and counterterrorism portfolio.
- Irizarry pleaded guilty in 2022 to entering and remaining in a restricted building during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach and was sentenced in 2023 to 14 days in jail after submitting a letter expressing remorse.
- President Trump pardoned Irizarry in 2025, and Pentagon acting press secretary Joel Valdez said the department considers him “a qualified, patriotic young professional.”
- Multiple people familiar with the hiring told reporters the role handles embassy security, personnel recovery and hostage-rescue work and reportedly requires high-level clearance, prompting internal alarms about placing a junior, previously convicted rioter in that portfolio.
- The hire adds to wider scrutiny of the administration’s appointments and pardons related to Jan. 6, and it could prompt congressional oversight and debate over vetting standards, operational security and morale within special-operations ranks.