The Secret Service failures during the near assassination of former President Donald Trump have once again shone the spotlight on so-called DEI hiring, with Director Kimberly Cheatle being accused of being a box-ticking diversity hire. This Washington Examiner series, Alphabet Soup, will take a closer look at whether the DEI chickens have come home to roost in the federal government, whether the private sector has finally had enough, and if the much-maligned term is here to stay or if it will simply morph into something else altogether. Part 1 will focus on the political fallout from government DEI.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives have taken a public relations beating in recent months, from the public sector and education to corporate governance, but the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump raised deeper concerns about the ideology’s drive to circumvent merit in favor immutable characteristics such as race.