Given the apparent failure of the U.S. Secret Service to prevent an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump at a July 13 rally in Pennsylvania, some have justifiably questioned whether Trump and his family still trust the federal protective agency to keep them safe from harm.

Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, recently declared that she "absolutely" retains confidence in the protection offered by Secret Service agents, the New York Post reported.

However, that confidence doesn't necessarily extend to the agency's leadership, who should be held accountable for their "mistakes," and she had previously expressed some concerns about the former president's safety before the shooting that nearly took his life.

Confidence in the agents ... not so much for the director

Former President Trump's ear was grazed by a bullet after a gunman with a rifle managed to attain an elevated position with a clear line of sight and fire upon him and rally-goers last weekend, and the near-fatal incident for the Republican nominee has prompted many questions about what went wrong in terms of his supposed protection by the Secret Service.

The Post recently asked Lara Trump, the co-chair of the Republican National Committee and wife of the former president's middle son Eric, if she still believed that Secret Service agents were capable of keeping her father-in-law safe, and she replied, "I do, absolutely."

"I think the men and women of the United States Secret Service are some of the greatest people I’ve ever met, Eric and I had a Secret Service detail for four years," she explained. "The people around us were wonderful. The job they did was totally 100% professional."

Yet, Lara's outlook on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is a bit different, though, as she told the outlet, "There were obviously some mistakes and some lapses and I ultimately think it’s up to the Secret Service director to answer those questions."

Had previously expressed some concerns about Trump's safety

Interestingly enough, USA Today reported that just three days before the assassination attempt on former President Trump, his daughter-in-law had expressed some concerns about his safety, albeit in part because of his own actions and regardless of his own apparent lack of worry.

During a podcast interview with former ESPN host Sage Steele, Lara said of her father-in-law, "I'm sure the Secret Service go crazy all the time, because he's like, 'I want to go over and say hi to all these people,' and they're like, 'Sir ...' But you know, that's why he is doing it. He wants to connect with people."

"That's where he shines and you really see the true nature of this man," she continued. "You can put him in any crowd ... It doesn't matter where you send Donald Trump. He is authentic to the core and sometimes to a fault, I think, for some people. And he wants to be out there among people."

But that's also a cause for concern for her and others about his safety, as Lara added, "But I think about it a lot, certainly, and I know those of us who are close to him think about it a lot."

Director Cheatle has a lot of questions to answer

Meanwhile, according to the Associated Press, Secret Service Director Cheatle is facing mounting demands for her resignation from lawmakers, has been subpoenaed to testify at a congressional committee hearing on Monday, and is at the center of multiple congressional and internal administrative investigations.

Of particular note are allegations that she lowered agency standards and changed protocols to attract and retain more diverse personnel, as well as the recent admission after initial denials that her agency rejected multiple requests from the Trump campaign for additional security measures.

Cheatle has thus far resisted the demands to resign in disgrace over her apparent failure to prevent an assassination attempt against the former president and, at least for now, appears to still have the confidence and backing of President Joe Biden and Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas.