The recent near-assassination of former President Donald Trump has thrown a glaring spotlight on the glaring incompetencies within the Secret Service, notably under the leadership of Director Kimberly Cheatle. Appointed primarily due to her connections with First Lady Jill Biden rather than her aptitude for the critical role, Cheatle’s tenure as the head of the Secret Service is a textbook example of how cronyism and a misguided focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives can lead to catastrophic security failures.
Cheatle, who has a background that includes a significant stint at PepsiCo, was propelled into the position not through the rigorous Senate confirmation process, but through internal endorsements that seem to have had little to do with her qualifications for the role. Sources close to the Biden administration have indicated that her promotion was significantly influenced by Anthony Bernal, a senior adviser to Dr. Biden with zero expertise in national security. His push to install Cheatle—a figure from Dr. Biden’s second lady detail—is emblematic of the administration’s troubling tendency to prioritize personal connections and DEI optics over actual security competence.
On a practical level, this resulted in Cheatle overseeing one of the most significant security lapses in recent memory. How a gunman could get within striking distance of a former president under her watch is bewildering and unacceptable. Her approach to leadership, steeped in DEI rather than the rigorous demands of national security, may have contributed to a dangerous shift in priorities within the Secret Service. This is not just an error in judgment; it’s a fundamental flaw in the administration’s values, where checking the DEI box trumps safeguarding the lives of our nation’s leaders.
Moreover, Cheatle’s expected briefings to Congress and her upcoming public hearing will likely be contentious, as they should be. The incident not only endangered Trump but resulted in the death of a rally-goer and the wounding of others. Republican members of Congress, like Rep. Tim Burchett, are rightly outraged, pinpointing the disastrous impact of having a “DEI initiative person” in charge of what should be one of the most apolitical and focused agencies in the federal government.
This entire debacle should serve as a wakeup call to every American. It underscores a harrowing reality: when leadership is chosen based on political favoritism and a superficial commitment to diversity quotas rather than qualifications and proven competence, the results can be deadly. We need a return to sanity, where the safety of our nation’s leaders is more important than the diversity of their protective detail’s leadership.
