(NewsNation) — A handful of primarily conservative pundits and lawmakers are blaming the inclusion of female Secret Service agents for the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

Critics are condemning the Secret Service’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts (sometimes referred to as DEI) after the rally shooting that killed an attendee and injured the former president’s ear.

“There should not be any women in the Secret Service,” Daily Wire show host Matt Walsh posted on X. “These are supposed to be the very best, and none of the very best at this job are women.”

The Ad Fontes media bias chart suggests the Daily Wire expresses right-leaning, hyperpartisan views.

Political figures are also criticizing the agency for its diversity efforts.

”DEI results in D-I-E,” Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., told Fox News. “We have to understand this is about meritocracy. This is not about a quota.”  

The Secret Service told NBC it stands by its diversity in recruiting. According to the latest available agency stats, the agency has nearly 8,000 employees, roughly 24% of whom are women, and about 75% are male.

Several former female agents told NewsNation the path to securing a role protecting the president is rigorous and includes physical testing. Both male and female agents agreed that protecting the president or former president of the United States is a high standard to live up to with a mission that “Failure is not an option.”

“It goes back to: Can you do what is being asked of you?” said former Secret Service agent Melanie Burkholder. “And if you can, there is no way they should be discriminating against women to say you can’t.”

There’s no difference in capability tests between a man and a woman, Burkholder said. Both sexes must pass the same physical performance benchmarks. The former agent, who describes herself as a recovering marathon racer, said she performed better than some of her male counterparts during a training exercise that required her to quickly climb a rope course and ring a bell.

“It’s just ludicrous in my mind that we are having this discussion 52 years later,” she said. “There was an emergency. There was a crisis. There were several people — men and women — running around discombobulated, and I think that’s expected during a crisis.”

Women have been working in the U.S. Secret Service since the 1970s. Regardless of sex or gender, agents are expected to be in “excellent health and physical condition,” the agency’s website states.

Applicants must have uncorrected vision no worse than 20/100 in both eyes. Any hearing loss must not exceed 25 decibels in either ear. They must also pass a physical test, written exam and drug test as part of the application process. Once employed, agents are required to attend ongoing training throughout their careers. That includes, in part, regular firearms requalification, emergency medicine courses and crisis training simulations.

Another former female agent told NewsNation that women can’t expect to be treated any differently than their male counterparts. It’s the opposite, the former agent said, adding that female agents must prove themselves more than men. Any failure could be used as grounds for criticism or calls that women shouldn’t be in the service.

Questions surrounding the preparation and response to the July 13 rally will take center stage Monday at a Congressional Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing, where Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is expected to testify.

The Secret Service issued a statement Friday pledging its full cooperation.

NewsNation digital reporter Katie Smith contributed to this report.