A convicted Capitol stormer is now employed by the US Department of Defense and is reportedly entrusted with extremely sensitive matters. Elias Irizarry works as a “political appointee” in the Pentagon, a ministry spokesman confirmed the personnel on Platform X, which was first reported by the Washington Post. Irizarry is “a qualified, patriotic young professional” and we are proud to have him at the War Department, said spokesman Joel Valdez.
It is unclear who exactly appointed him there: the Office of the Secretary of Defense normally assigns these political positions, sometimes it is the White House directly, writes the New York Times.
According to the Washington Post and other US media, Irizarry has been working there since last year in a department that deals with particularly delicate tasks such as irregular warfare and counterterrorism. All positions within it required an extremely high level of security clearance. Internally, people are also asking themselves how someone who is connected to an attack on US democracy could move to such a sensitive post, the US newspaper wrote.
Dead in riots at the Washington House of Representatives
On January 6, 2021, supporters of the then-elected President Donald Trump broke into the Capitol, where US congressmen were supposed to formally confirm Joe Biden’s victory. Among the rioters was then-military academy cadet Irizarry, who climbed through a broken window. Footage showed the 19-year-old at the time with a metal rod in his hand, although he is not supposed to have hurt anyone with it. Trump had previously incited his supporters for weeks with unsubstantiated claims that his election victory had been stolen through fraud. As a result of the riots, five people died.
At his later sentencing, Irizarry expressed deep remorse for his role in storming the Capitol. “I am ashamed because I will forever be part of this disgrace,” US media quoted from his hearing. He received a 14-day prison sentence for entering and remaining in a prohibited area, but he was later reportedly able to convince his military academy to readmit him. Trump pardoned Irizarry right at the start of his second term as president – like almost everyone convicted in connection with the storming of the Capitol.
