Grand Theft America / Receipt power-2026-06-02-004
The Pentagon installs a convicted January 6 rioter in a counter-terrorism post
The Department of Defense appointed Elias Irizarry, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge connected to the 6 January 2021 storming of the US Capitol, to a position in its special operations and low intensity conflict office, which manages highly classified military operations.
What happened
No source gives the date the appointment was made; the Guardian reported it on 2 June 2026, crediting the Washington Post with the first report. Irizarry pleaded guilty to entering and remaining in a restricted building and was sentenced to 14 days in jail. Pentagon acting press secretary Joel Valdez confirmed and defended the appointment, calling Irizarry a qualified, patriotic young professional and a political appointee at the Department of War. Pentagon officials are said to have voiced dismay that someone involved in the attack could be installed in such a sensitive post.
Why it matters
The team Irizarry is to serve on is said to cover embassy security, personnel recovery and hostage rescue, and Pentagon officials are said to have voiced dismay that someone involved in the attack could be installed in such a sensitive post. One person told the Washington Post that putting someone 'so junior and new to DoD, and with such a checkered background, into such a sensitive portfolio raises serious questions for leadership'.
Receipt details
- Phase 1
- Purge the people who'd say no
- Impose loyalty screenings in hiring
