President Joe Biden witnessed multiple attacks against U.S. Secret Service (USSS) members by his dog Commander while in office, according to a newly revealed document.
According to files released to Judicial Watch by way of litigation through the Freedom of Information Act, members of the Secret Service wished each other a “safe shift” while protecting Biden due to the dozens of agents who were allegedly attacked by the German shepherd over a two year period before the dog was given away, the New York Post reported.
USSS records obtained by CNN in February showed that the dog attacks numbered at least 24, but the new agency report suggests that the attacks could be more than three dozen, the Post noted.
The files showed that the president reportedly accused one member of the Secret Service of lying about the attack, but personally watched at least three other attacks occur, the Post noted.
Commander was brought in to replace Biden’s dog, Major, who had to be rehomed in 2021 after several biting incidents of his own at the White House, The Guardian noted.
One attack not yet reported allegedly happened on September 12, 2023. The agent wrote that Biden went for a walk with the dog (on a leash) in the Kennedy Garden and “while [Biden] and Commander were in the Kennedy Garden I was standing half way from the Book-Sellers [lobby] and the Family Theater.”
“[Biden] opened the Book-Seller door and said [redacted],” the agent added. “As I started to walk toward him to see if he needed help, Commander ran through his legs and bit my left arm through the front of my jacket. I pulled my arm away and yelled no.”
“[President Biden] also yelled [redacted] to Commander,” the agent continued. “[Biden] then [redacted]. I obliged and Commander let me pet him. When turning to close the door, Commander jumped again and bit my left arm for the second time. [Biden] again yelled at Commander and attached the leash to him. My suit coat has 3 holes, 1 being all the way through. No skin was broken.”
The report showed that the Secret Service grew wary of the attacks, with one writing to a colleague after another attack on September 25, “FYI- there was a dog bite and the Officer may need to go to the hospital … Have a safe shift!” There was no information on whether Biden was there for that one.
Included in the report two days after the September 25 attack, someone from the agency’s Safety, Health & Environmental Division wrote asking, “Can we please find a way to get this dog muzzled.”
The February CNN report outlined one alleged attack from July 2023 when a special agent was providing security at Biden’s beach home and thought that Commander was on a leash in the backyard, as previously reported.
“In the background SA [redacted] heard the voice of what believes to be FLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden [redacted] yelling [redacted quote]. Commander ran toward the direction of post [redacted] booth and bit SA [redacted] in the left forearm. Causing a severe deep open wound. As result of the attack SA [redacted] started to lose a significant amount of blood from [redacted] arm,” the report said.
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