Pentagon assigns convicted January 6 rioter to policy office role

The Pentagon has assigned Elias Irizarry, a man convicted over the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, to a role in its office of the undersecretary of defense for policy. The office provides national security advice and support on military strategy and planning to the defense secretary. The appointment has drawn attention because it places a person convicted in connection with the Capitol attack inside a senior policy unit at the US defense headquarters.