US Homeland Security Chief Defends Female Secret Service Agents Against Criticism

The United States Homeland Security chief, Alejandro Mayorkas, responded on Saturday to misogynistic attacks directed at female Secret Service agents who protected Donald Trump from a would-be assassin.

“These assertions are baseless and insulting,” Mayorkas said in a statement, addressing accusations from some on the US political right that the Secret Service’s “woke” hiring practices nearly got the former president killed.

Mayorkas praised the “highly skilled and trained” women in law enforcement nationwide who risk “their lives on the front lines for the safety and security of others.” He emphasized that these women are “brave and selfless patriots who deserve our gratitude and respect.”

The Department of Homeland Security will “with great pride… continue to recruit, retain, and elevate women in our law enforcement ranks,” he added.

It has been one week since a gunman opened fire during Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania, resulting in one bystander’s death, two others wounded, and the Republican candidate bloodied but alive.

Several women were among the Secret Service agents who raced to shield Trump with their bodies as the gunshots rang out.

These agents, along with their boss Kimberly Cheatle—only the second female director of the federal agency tasked with protecting presidents—are now under intense scrutiny following the attack.

“There should not be any women in the Secret Service. These are supposed to be the very best, and none of the very best at this job are women,” right-wing activist Matt Walsh wrote on X, reflecting a typical far-right perspective.

Many attacks cited Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DEI) hiring practices, which some Republicans argue discriminate against white people, particularly white men.

“The results of DEI. DEI got someone killed,” read one post on the popular Libs of TikTok account.

The Secret Service has previously defended itself against such accusations, with a spokesman telling US media that agents “are held to the highest professional standards… at no time has the agency lowered these standards.”

Cheatle, who has so far ignored calls to resign, is scheduled to appear before Congress on July 22 for a hearing on the assassination attempt.

The Secret Service has also agreed to an independent review ordered by President Joe Biden.

Not everyone on the right supported the criticisms.

“I saw two women — one of them with a gun in her hand and the other with her body around him,” top Trump adviser Chris LaCivita told CNN reporter Kate Sullivan. “I know this — a swarm of Secret Service agents put their lives on the line and put their bodies in between President Trump and the bullets, and anybody who has said anything different about those people on the stage is an idiot.”