By admin 
YORK COUNTY, S.C. (WJZY) — The Pentagon is defending the hiring of a York County man who took part in the Capitol Riot on January 6, 2021.
Elias Irizarry, who was convicted and later pardoned, was selected to serve in a counterterrorism role with the Defense Department. The Washington Post was first to report that Irizarry will work in an office that oversees sensitive special operations and irregular warfare matters.
Five years ago, he drove with two friends from South Carolina to DC to take part in a massive riot that sought to interrupt the certification of the 2020 election.
Press and surveillance photos from that day show Irizarry, armed with a metal pole, directing fellow rioters toward the Capitol before climbing through a broken window. After wandering through the rotunda and posing with statues for nearly half an hour, Irizarry exited the building, but he stayed on Capitol grounds until dusk.
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The Washington Post also reported that during his sentencing, Irizarry showed remorse, saying January 6h represented something truly horrible.
Irizarry, who at the time was a freshman at The Citadel, pleaded guilty to entering and remaining in a restricted building and spent 14 days in jail. He was included in President Donald Trump’s mass pardoning of January 6 defendants in January 2025.
In a statement on X, a Pentagon spokesperson defended the new hire.
“Mr. Elias Irizarry is a qualified, patriotic young professional, and we are proud to have him as a political appointee at the Department of War,” said Acting Press Secretary Joel Valdez.