Ryan Bridge: There should be minimum standards for Secret Service agents

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Have you seen the story floating around about the U.S. Secret Service?

After the assassination attempt on Trump, the internet's been going nuts.

Not just because, how did this happen? What a monumental cock-up. Who's responsible?

But also because a number of the agents trying to protect the president were women.

According to Time magazine, based on video of the shooting, one of these agents looked frazzled and couldn't get her gun back into its holster.

Another apparently frantically shouted "what are we doing? where are we going?" after the shots were fired.

Meghan McCain, daughter of former presidential nominee John McCain posted on X:

"This is why the notion of men and women being the same is just absurd. You need to be taller than the candidate to protect them with your body. Why do they have these short women guarding trump? (Trump and biden are both over 6 ft) this is embarrassing and dangerous."

Some are blaming diversity, equity and inclusion targets which aim to have 30% of the Secret Service agents women.

I remember similar angst from some male firefighters a few years back, they didn't trust smaller women to be able to pull them out of a burning building should the need arise.

Others say these arguments are sexist and women can do anything etc.

Both these arguments have merit.

It's a fact that men are generally taller and bigger than women.

But that doesn't mean all men are.

I can think of many women taller and bigger than me who could frankly beat the crap out of me.

If I needed a bodyguard, or saving from a burning building, their sex wouldn't bother me.

But if the person is smaller and not as strong, whether it's a Secret Service agent of a firefighter, shouldn't there be minimum standards that apply to ensure safety?

I think Meghan McCain has a point.

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