Biden gives away Commander after dog drew blood with attacks on Secret Service at White House, vacation home: documents
WASHINGTON — President Biden has given first dog Commander to relatives, the White House said Wednesday following revelations of more brutal attacks on Secret Service employees — including a case in which White House tours were suspended to mop up blood from the floor of the East Wing and another attack in which an agent suffered a “severe deep open wound” at Biden’s Delaware vacation home.
Commander’s propensity for biting Secret Service members was first revealed by The Post in July 2023, with internal documents showing at least seven agents were injured — but the president didn’t immediately part with the German shepherd after reportedly claiming that an agent lied about an attack by his prior dog, Major, who also was re-homed after also terrorizing protective agency staff and others.
On July 29, just five days after The Post’s exclusive report on the first dog surfaced allegations that the president was creating an unsafe workspace, Commander brutalized an agent at Biden’s Rehoboth Beach getaway, according to new records acquired by journalist John Greenewald through a Freedom of Information Act request.
“[The agent] heard the voice of what [he/she] believes to be FLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden yelling ‘[redacted quote].’ Commander ran towards the direction of post [redacted] booth and bit [the agent] in the left forearm, [c]ausing a severe deep open wound,” an incident report said.
“As [a] result of the attack [the agent] started to loose [sic] a significant amount of blood from [redacted pronoun] arm. [The agent] remained calm and walked away from the area looking for help. … [The agent] received six (6) stitches in the left hand forearm and antibiotics for the wound.”
Although documents say the agent served out their shift after receiving stitches on site, an email from July 29 also said they were “enroute [sic] to the hospital at this time.”
In another newly revealed attack, on June 15, 2023, Commander bit an agent “inside of the Kennedy Garden” adjacent to the East Wing, where the first lady’s office is located, as they were walking to the driveway to help move parked trucks.
“Video of the incident shows [the agent] enter the Kennedy Garden while Commander, who was off the
leash and on the opposite side of the garden at the time, run at a high rate of speed towards [the agent and] jump towards [the agent] and take [them] to the ground,” a report says.
The agent “sustained an injury to [their] left arm (‘deep bite’) that reportedly needed stitches.”
“East Wing Tours were stopped for approximately 20 minutes due to blood from the incident being on
the floors in the area of the [lobby connecting the East Wing to the White House],” the document says.
President Biden was present for at least one of the newly documented instances — months before the bloodiest encounters — and said something that was removed from the records.
A Secret Service agent wrote in an email that on Oct. 2, 2022, “I was bit/grabbed on the left forearm” by Commander while holding open the door for the president as he entered the White House near the iconic West Wing Colonnade.
“Commander came in first circled back and grabbed my left arm. He then stood up and back down. He is literally my height standing. POTUS entered shortly after since he was trailin behind him. POTUS entered the Palm Room and said, ‘[redacted quote]’,” the agent wrote, adding that they were evaluated by White House medical staff and the bite didn’t break the skin.
“I was in shock that the incident occurred. After this I was concerned about [Commander] getting out of the residence or being out without a leash for others safety and mine.”
There are now 24 documented instances of dog attacks on the Secret Service during Biden’s tenure in office, in addition to reports of attacks on White House staffers.
The attacks initially revealed by The Post this past July varied in severity, with three threatening incidents reported alongside the seven instances of bites.
In the most severe of those incidents, a uniformed Secret Service officer was sent to a DC-area hospital for treatment after Commander clamped down on their arm and thigh on Nov. 3, 2022, while the officer was sitting at the base of a White House stairwell.
Other incidents first reported by The Post included Commander breaking the skin of a different Secret Service member’s hand and arm weeks later after the president unleashed him outside the White House following a family movie night on Dec. 11, 2022, and Commander biting the back of a security technician at Biden’s Wilmington, Del., home on Jan. 2, 2023.
The White House said Wednesday that the first family has parted ways with Commander after similarly separating with first dog Major — also a German shepherd — in 2021 following a spate of attacks that included biting Secret Service members every day for more than a week, according to records.
“The President and First Lady care deeply about the safety of those who work at the White House and those who protect them every day. Despite additional dog training, leashing, working with veterinarians, and consulting with animal behaviorists, the White House environment simply proved too much for Commander,” said Jill Biden spokeswoman Elizabeth Alexander.
“Since the fall, he has lived with other family members.”
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that the agency “takes the safety and wellbeing of our employees extremely seriously, and has been navigating how to best operate in an environment that includes family pets for many Presidential administrations.”
“The incidents involving Commander were treated as workplace injuries, with events documented in accordance with Secret Service and US Department of Homeland Security guidelines. While Secret Service personnel neither handle nor care for the first family’s pets, we work continuously with all applicable entities in order to minimize any adverse impacts from family pets,” Guglielmi said.
“We would refer you to the White House Press Office for any questions related to the status or location of the first family’s pets.”
