One of President Joe Biden’s dogs apparently bit or attacked Secret Service agents at least 10 times between October and January, according to records from the Department of Homeland Security.
Biden’s youngest dog, Commander, has reportedly been responsible for the attacks, including one that sent an injured law enforcement officer to the hospital.
Secret Service email correspondence indicates concern about safety around the German Shepherd after the episodes in the White House and at Biden’s personal residence in Delaware.
The watchdog group Judicial Watch released nearly 200 pages of Secret Service records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, The Associated Press reported.
Another of Biden’s dogs, Major, was moved out of the White House and lives with friends after biting incidents, AP reported.
The White House said the Bidens were working through new training for 22-month-old Commander.
Emails indicate Commander sometimes walks around the White House grounds unleashed. In one incident in October, first lady Dr. Jill Biden “couldn’t regain control” of the dog as it charged a member of Secret Service staff, the report said.
The Secret Service agent who was sent to the hospital reported considerable pain. He said he had to use a steel cart to shield against further attack, The New York Post reported.
The agent was placed on restricted duty for three days. He allegedly emailed a colleague who asked about his recovery: “My leg and arm still hurts. He bit me twice and ran at me twice,” The Post reported.
His colleague reportedly wrote back, “What a joke … if it wasn’t their dog, he would already have been put down -– freaking clown needs a muzzle.”
Elizabeth Alexander, communications director for the first lady, told AP in an email that the White House is a “unique and often stressful environment” for family pets and that the Bidens were “working through ways to make this situation better for everyone.”
Commander came to the White House in December 2021 as a gift from Biden’s brother, James. The family also has a cat, Willow.