(HorizonPost.com) – The Department of Homeland Security last weekend responded to criticism directed at the female Secret Service agents who were part of Donald Trump’s protective detail on July 13 when he was nearly killed by an assassin’s bullet at a Pennsylvania rally.
Following the assassination attempt, social media users posted video clips and images of the two women who were part of the former president’s protective detail, including a video clip showing one of the women struggling to re-holster her firearm and a photo of the same agent cowering on the stage as the protective detail rushed to surround Trump.
In a July 20 statement, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other senior officials defended the female Secret Service officers and all female law enforcement, describing the accusations against them as “baseless and insulting.”
The officials said that women serve in federal, state, and local law enforcement in every community around the country “every single day” and described them as “highly trained and skilled professionals” who are on the “front lines,” risking their lives to keep others safe and secure.
They said that female law enforcement officers were “brave and selfless patriots” deserving of “respect” and “gratitude.”
When accepting the Republican nomination last Thursday at the convention in Milwaukee, Donald Trump recounted the events of the shooting and offered his praise to the members of his Secret Service detail who rushed to his aid.
Just hours after the attempted assassination, Trump thanked his protective detail and the rest of the law enforcement at the rally for their rapid response to the shooting.
Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle, who is only the second female director in the agency’s history, has faced withering criticism over the near assassination of a former president, including calls for her resignation.
In an interview with ABC News last week, Cheatle again insisted that she had no intention of stepping down.
In their statement, the DHS officials said they would continue to “recruit, retain, and elevate women” into their ranks and argued that Homeland Security would be “better for it” and the country “more secure.”
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