Conservatives Use Trump Rally Shooting to Attack Secret Service’s DEI Efforts
As members of Congress on both sides of the aisle Kimberly Cheatle, Director of the US Secret Service, Questioned On Monday, after learning how a gunman was able to shoot former President Donald Trump in an assassination attempt, several Republican lawmakers cited gender and the agency’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts as part of the security failure.
“Ma’am, you are a DEI horror story,” Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee told Cheatle during the hours-long hearing before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
Wisconsin Rep. Glenn Grothman asked the director if she “wasn’t hiring men because she wanted to achieve certain goals.”
And Texas Rep. Michael Cloud questioned Cheatle’s strategic plan for the Secret Service, in which she championed diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, including her support for the 30×30 initiative, which aims to increase the representation of women among recruits to 30% by 2030.
“Do all Secret Service agents have the same qualifications, or do you have different standards for different people?” Cloud asked.
“Yes, sir. Everyone who goes through the application process must meet the same criteria to become a special agent,” Cheatle replied.
The conservative backlash against DEI has been up since last Junewhen the Supreme Court ruled to end affirmative action in college admissions. Several companies have been attacked because of their DEI policies, including John Deere, Supply of tractors, Target And Bud Light.
The latest DEI attack came to light Monday against the Secret Service and Cheatle, but the problem has been brewing since the July 13 assassination attempt at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, where several female agents were among those protecting the former president and many conservatives questioned their fitness to serve.
“There should be no women in the Secret Service. They are supposed to be the best, and none of the best people in the job are women,” conservative political commentator Matt Walsh wrote on X the day after the assassination attempt. “If a woman is doing a job like this, it 100 percent means a more qualified man was passed over.”
Meghan McCain, daughter of former U.S. senator and presidential candidate John McCain, echoed Walsh’s statement, adding: “The idea that men and women are the same is simply absurd. You have to be taller than the candidate to protect him with your body. Why are these short women (including one who apparently can’t holster a gun) protecting Trump? It’s embarrassing and dangerous.”
Photos taken immediately after the shooting show a female officer protect trump with his body.
David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University School of Law, said the new criticism of DEI comes as no surprise.
“It’s now a pretty consistent trend to blame DEI for any problems,” he said. “After the Baltimore Bridge CollapseThere were people blaming DEI,” and the same thing happened after Boeing dealt with aviation safety issues.
Massachusetts Democrat Ayanna Pressley said it was “shameful” that Republicans were “using sexist tropes” by blaming women for security failures at Trump’s rally. She said she believed her Republican counterparts were exploiting the shooting to “continue to attack progress toward racial justice and gender equality in America.” She also reserved her criticism for Cheatle for failing to adequately answer questions during Monday’s hearing.
“Every day, Director Cheatle, that you don’t give us answers, they are given more oxygen to prop up their baseless claims that women and people of color are responsible for tragic events. And that’s dangerous too,” Pressley said.
For her part, Ms. Cheatle said that “the incident of the 13th has nothing to do with the DEI. The incident of the 13th has to do with a lack of planning or communication.”
Under Cheatle’s leadership, the Secret Service has continued to commit to the 30×30 initiative, which aims to improve the representation and experience of women in law enforcement. Currently, women make up just 12 percent of sworn officers and 3 percent of police leadership positions in the United States, according to the organization’s website. Cheatle herself is only the second woman to lead the Secret Service.
Dozens of other police departments and law enforcement agencies have also adopted the 30×30 initiative, including in Republican states like Iowa, North Dakota, Arkansas, Kansas and Florida. And so far, none of those departments have backed down from their efforts.
Catrina Bonus, president of Women in Federal Law Enforcement, called the attacks on DEI “disheartening.”
“The current rhetoric that questions our presence in law enforcement is not only outdated; it is rooted in ignorance,” she said in a statement. “It dishonors the pioneers who have taken on unimaginable challenges to make this profession more inclusive and equitable, and the next generation, to show them that law enforcement is filled with open doors and opportunities, and that through hard work and determination, they can achieve anything they set their minds to.”
Maureen McGough, co-founder of the 30×30 Initiative, responded strongly to the gender-related criticism.
“We think about the women who put their lives on the line every day to do their jobs in law enforcement, who have been called to serve, who make incredible sacrifices. And to see people who have never stepped foot in the arena accuse them simply because of their gender, it’s sad, you know, it’s heartbreaking,” she said.
“But it’s also an opportunity for us to redouble our efforts,” McGough added.
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Associated Press writers Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia and Michael Kunzelman in Washington contributed to this report. ___
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