The US Secret Service has denounced the growing criticism against its female agents for security failures during the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, squarely blaming right-wing media outlets.
As we highlighted earlier this week, Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle faced major scrutiny over her support for initiatives to diversify the agency in the wake of the assassination attempt.
Multiple videos showed female Secret Service agents appearing to struggle to holster her gun amid the chaotic scene as Trump was escorted to his motorcade.
However, law enforcement professionals, including a former Secret Service deputy director, rebuffed claims that their female agents were not up to the job.
In a statement, the Secret Service blasted the so-called “misogynist” claims:
“It is an insult to the women of our agency to imply that they are unqualified based on gender. Such baseless assertions undermine the professionalism, dedication, and expertise of our workforce,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
“Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion ensures that we attract the best talent, fostering a robust and effective team that reflects the society we serve.”
Cheatle has come under fire for pushing diversity initiatives and neglecting the safety aspects of her role, with ultiamltey led to the assassination attempt.
“We stand united against any attempt to discredit our personnel and their invaluable contributions to our mission and are appalled by the disparaging and disgusting comments against any of our personnel,” Guglielmi said.
Associations that represent women in law enforcement responded to criticisms against the female agents, despite the glaringly obvious evidence that diversity hires almost cost Trump his life.
“Statements blaming this shooting on efforts to promote gender equity are disingenuous at best and deeply dangerous at worst,” a group of associations, including Women in Federal Law Enforcement, International Association of Women Police, and National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, said in a statement.
They added that research has shown that efforts to expand the pool of qualified applicants for law enforcement positions “makes us all safer and say they do not advocate for hiring solely based on gender or lowering standards in any way.”
“We must reject all bad-faith efforts to seek to score political points at the expense of our safety.”
“This is the most recent effort to sow division and blame by attacking diversity initiatives for everything from airline safety catastrophes to bridge collapse to bank failures,” the groups said.
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