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Commander Biden, President Joe Biden's family dog, bit US Secret Service personnel in at least 24 incidents at the White House and elsewhere, according to new internal USSS documents obtained by CNN.
That number does not include additional incidents CNN has previously reported involving executive residence staff and other White House employees. But the new documents, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, reveal the extent to which the situation had become a serious workplace issue for hundreds of employees who support White House operations, and how agency personnel changed habits. his to avoid injury from the German Pastor.
"Recent dog bites have challenged us to adjust our operational tactics when the commander is present, please allow plenty of space," an unidentified assistant special agent in charge of the Defense Division wrote to their team in a June 2023 email. President of the USSS, warning that agents "must be creative to ensure personal safety".
This warning came months before the dog was removed from the White House, with multiple bite incidents occurring in the interim. CNN has reviewed more than 400 pages of documents, many of which have been heavily redacted to protect the anonymity of USSS personnel and operational details.
In October 2022, an unnamed Secret Service technician described an incident and said they were "concerned about pet behavior escalating and that ... something worse would happen to others."
The documented incidents involved members of the uniformed division of the Secret Service, members of the president's protective detail, and other USSS officials. They took place inside and outside the White House residence, but also at the Biden family's homes in Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, at Camp David and in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where the first family spends Thanksgiving.
A source close to the Biden family told CNN that the Biden family feels "terrified" and has been "heartbroken" by the spate of stinging incidents.
"They are heartbroken over this. They apologized to those who were bitten, brought flowers to some. They feel terrible," the source said.
The family repeatedly tried to take control of the situation, which began in October 2022 with incidents lasting a full year. Commander Biden joined the family as a puppy in December 2021.
"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, work with veterinarians, and consultation with animal behaviorists, the White House environment simply proved too much for the Commander. Since the fall, he has been living with other family members," Elizabeth Alexander, first lady Jill Biden's communications director, said in a statement to CNN.
"Incidents involving the commander were treated as on-the-job injuries, with events documented in accordance with U.S. Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security guidelines," Anthony Guglielmi, a USSS spokesman, said in a statement to CNN. Wednesday.
"While Secret Service personnel neither handle nor care for first family pets, we constantly work with all applicable entities to minimize any negative impact from family pets," he said.
The documents, which were independently obtained by CNN, were first published by John Greenewald.
"Something worse would happen"
Guglielmi called on his media team to begin "preparing possible public responses" to questions about the incidents beginning in July 2023. An email description of a July 29, 2023 incident — one of the most severe sketches in documents – reveals the seriousness of the problem.
An unidentified special agent from the anti-surveillance unit of the presidential protective division was providing security cover in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, the report said. As the agent went to a security post in the backyard, the agent heard the Commander start barking, the report said, but did not realize that the Commander was "loose and unchained."
“The commander ran towards the mail booth and bit the redacted agent on the left forearm, causing a severe deep gash. As a result of the attack, the agent began to bleed significantly from his arm," the report states.
The agent was treated at the site by the White House medical unit and received six stitches in his left forearm, the report said, as well as antibiotics for the wound.
On October 2, 2022, an agent was bitten on the forearm while holding the door open in the area between the West Wing and the residence, a documented incident involving President Joe Biden. This agent raised concerns about safety in the workplace, saying that he was concerned that an off-leash dog would become a threat to the lives of many people.
An officer described an incident on Dec. 23, 2022, at the White House with the Biden family present.
"While the first family was returning from the tennis pavilion, the dog bit me on my left forearm," the officer said.
There was a similar incident on June 11, 2023, where a special agent tried to open the First Lady's dining room door. At that moment the dog jumped on him and bit him on the left chest.
On January 28, 2023, a biting incident occurred with a Marine staff member at Laurel Cabin at Camp David. Weeks later, a member of the presidential protective division sent out a request for information from "everyone who has had an incident with the commander."
And an unidentified USSS employee filed a traumatic injury notice and claim for continued pay/compensation with the US Department of Labor for an incident that occurred on April 12, 2023.
"The commander threw me and bit me on the left arm. I received wounds that were stitched by the doctor," the announcement said.
In May 2023, a special agent wrote that White House staff had been advised that "the pet should not go out on its own."
Sources suggested that the relationship between the first family and the US Secret Service was initially strained when the family's elderly dog, Major, caused an injury to an unnamed Secret Service agent in 2021, before eventually being permanently sent to Delaware. Then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at the time that Major caused an injury to an unidentified person.
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