July 20, 2024, 7:18 PM
July 20, 2024, 7:18 PM
US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Saturday called misogynistic attacks directed at female Secret Service agents who protected Donald Trump during an assassination attempt last week “insulting.”
“Are “These claims are unfounded and insulting,” Mayorkas said in a statement after right-wing figures accused the Secret Service of hiring practices that they say nearly led to the death of the former Republican president.
A gunman opened fire at a Trump campaign rally in Pennsylvania a week ago, killing one bystander and wounding two others. The Republican presidential candidate was hit in the ear.
The secretary praised the “highly qualified and educated” women who serve at all levels of his country’s security forces for risking “their lives on the front lines” for the safety of others.”
The Department of Homeland Security, “with great pride, dedication and devotion to the mission, will continue to recruit, retain and promote women into its ranks,” she added.
Following the attack on Trump, right-wing supporters have unleashed a torrent of criticism against the Secret Service for having women in its ranks, pointing out alleged shortcomings in the response to the assassination attempt.
Several female officers were seen among the black-clad, sunglasses-wearing security who rushed to shield Trump with their bodies after shots rang out at the rally. They then carried him off the stage to safety in a vehicle.
Many of the comments cited DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — hiring practices, which some Republicans criticize as discriminating against white men in particular.
The Secret Service has defended itself against such accusations in the past. Just weeks before the attack on Trump, a spokesman for the force said that agents “are held to the highest professional standards… at no time has the agency lowered these standards.”
