President Joe Biden’s administration confirmed Wednesday that Commander, the Biden family’s dog, has been permanently removed from the White House and given away to relatives after 24 documented attacks on U.S. Secret Service agents.
“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,” Elizabeth Alexander, a spokeswoman for First Lady Jill Biden, told CNN. “Despite additional dog training, leashing, working with veterinarians, and consulting with animal behaviorists, the White House environment simply proved too much for Commander.”
The spokeswoman confirmed that Commander, Biden’s 2-year-old German Shepherd, “has lived with other family members” since last fall.
The Biden administration’s confirmation that Commander has been given away to Biden’s family members came just one day after journalist John Greenewald obtained new records through a Freedom of Information Act request. The new records document multiple attacks against Secret Service agents that were not previously reported.
According to The New York Post, the new documents show that just days after the outlet reported that the president’s dog was creating an unsafe environment at the White House last July, Commander brutally attacked a Secret Service agent at Biden’s beach house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
The New York Post reported that there have been 24 total reported attacks by the Biden family’s dog against members of the Secret Service. However, the 24 incidents do not include incidents involving attacks on other White House staff members.
READ MORE: Biden’s dog has 12th biting incident; removed from White House
An incident report in the new records obtained by Greenewald states, “[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.”
The incident report claims that the Secret Service agent lost a “significant amount of blood” from their arm. While the report indicates that the agent “remained calm” and was able to walk away from the scene of the dog attack to receive help, the report notes that the agent “received six (6) stitches in the left hand forearm and antibiotics for the wound.”
Another documented incident shows that Commander charged at a Secret Service agent in the Kennedy Garden on June 15, 2023, resulting in the agent sustaining an arm injury 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 report states.
