A non-profit organization has started its own investigation into the Secret Service’s use of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices that many have suggested has compromised the quality of the agency’s protection, following the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump last month.
According to Fox News, the investigation is being carried out by the Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF), a Colorado-based non-profit. MSLF’s probe will take a closer look at how DEI has negatively affected the agency’s hiring, retention, and promotion of agents, prioritizing race- and gender-based identity politics over competence.
Immediately following the attempt on July 13, the Secret Service agents assigned to President Trump’s detail that day were widely mocked online, especially several female agents who were all short and slightly overweight, with one agent being unable to provide full cover for President Trump, who stands at 6 feet and 3 inches. Another female agent was seen repeatedly struggling to re-holster her weapon as President Trump was getting into the Secret Service vehicle to be taken to the hospital.
MSLF says it will seek information from both current and former Secret Service agents, as well as applicants to the agency who believe that they were rejected or otherwise discriminated against because of their identity. The organization also plans to file a lawsuit over the agency’s alleged “discriminatory and dangerous civil rights violations,” stating that “credible evidence exists to corroborate malfeasance.”
“USSS must be held accountable for its reckless and unlawful employment practices; a legal challenge will ensure that moving forward, only the most qualified individuals will be hired, retained, and promoted,” the MSLF said in a statement.
The backlash against the Secret Service following the events of July 13 has already led to the resignation of Director Kimberly Cheatle, and ongoing criticism of Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr., who was Deputy Director under Cheatle.
On July 13, a 20-year-old gunman fired several shots at President Trump while he was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The first shot grazed President Trump’s ear, at which point the former president ducked for cover as Secret Service agents surrounded him. Several more shots rang out, killing 50-year-old rallygoer Corey Comperatore and seriously injuring two others before the gunman was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.