Mayorkas, Cheatle Slam ‘Baseless and Insulting’ Criticism of Women in Law Enforcement After ‘DEI’ Attacks on Secret Service

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other DHS officials lashed out at critics of female Secret Service agents who have slammed the agency in the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

In a Saturday afternoon statement attributed to Mayorkas and 10 others – including Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle – DHS lashed out at criticism of women in policing.

“In the days following the attempted assassination of former President Trump, some people have made public statements questioning the presence of women in law enforcement, including in the United States Secret Service,” the statement said. It continued:

These assertions are baseless and insulting. Every single day, in communities big and small across our great country, women are serving in federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and campus law enforcement. They are highly trained and skilled professionals, who risk their lives on the front lines for the safety and security of others. They are brave and selfless patriots who deserve our gratitude and respect.

We in the United States Department of Homeland Security — the largest law enforcement organization in the federal government — will, with great pride, focus, and devotion to mission, continue to recruit, retain, and elevate women in our law enforcement ranks. Our Department will be the better for it, and our country more secure.

In the days after Trump was shot in the ear last Saturday while giving a stump speech in Pennsylvania, images of female Secret Service agents went viral on social media. Most were and were accompanied by criticism.

Critics have slammed the agency’s female officers and its female director. Secret Service shortfalls were largely blamed on “DEI,” or diversity, equity, and inclusion, initiatives.

According to the Secret Service, women make up 24 percent of the agency.

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