Jan. 6 defendant who said he was ashamed of ‘foolish’ actions now works at Pentagon

National SecurityJan. 6 defendant who said he was ashamed of ‘foolish’ actions now works at Pentagon Elias Irizarry is a “qualified, patriotic young professional, and we are proud to have him as a political appointee,” a Pentagon spokesman said. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00U.S. President Donald Trump supporters gather outside the Capitol building in Washington D.C., United States on January 06, 2021.Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 2, 2026, 8:04 PM EDTBy Ryan J. Reilly and Courtney KubeA young man who pleaded guilty in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and apologized for his “foolish” actions during what he said was “without a doubt one of the most embarrassing days in modern American history” now works at the Pentagon. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Elias Irizarry, Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez said in a statement to NBC News, “is a qualified, patriotic young professional, and we are proud to have him as a political appointee.” Valdez did not specify the job. The Washington Post first reported his appointment. Irizarry was a 19-year-old student at The Citadel military college in South Carolina at the time of the riot.Elias Irizarry.FBIFederal prosecutors presented images of Irizarry entering the building through a broken window holding a metal pole, making his way into a conference room before entering the rotunda. “Irizarry joined the mob for many hours. After he armed himself with a metal pole, Irizarry watched as rioters violently assaulted officers who were trying to make their way through the crowd,” prosecutors wrote in court documents related to his case. “He then climbed scaffolding to reach the upper West terrace and encouraged and directed rioters by excitedly waving rioters up the stairs to gain access to the building.” He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of entering and remaining in...