Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked whether President Joe Biden is worried about being sued over his dog’s biting spree at Wednesday’s press briefing.
Biden’s German Shepherd, Commander, has bitten White House staffers and Secret Service agents on 12 reported occasions. New photographs emerged Wednesday of Commander nipping at White House staff member Dale Haney’s wrist.
“There are some new pictures of Commander Biden biting a staffer again. How many times has that dog bitten the Bidens?” Doocy asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
“I would refer you to the Secret Service and also the first lady’s office,” Jean-Pierre responded.
“Okay, and it’s the 12th known incident of this dog biting a White House staffer. A lot of times when that happens, there’s a lawsuit. Isn’t the president worried about getting sued?” Doocy asked.
The press secretary once again referred Doocy to the Secret Service and First Lady Jill Biden’s office.
A request through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) produced 194 pages detailing Commander’s aggression in mid-July. One email from a Secret Service officer on Nov. 5 stated that “if it wasn’t their dog it would have already been put down,” according to the report. (RELATED: Biden’s Dogs Champ And Major Will Return From Delaware Exile After Alleged White House Biting Incident)
The report found that Commander bit a Secret Service officer in the Rose Garden on Oct. 3, 2022, and bit an ERT officer on Oct. 5 in the “arm and wrist area.” More recorded biting incidents occurred in the Rose Garden on Nov. 10 and Dec. 11, and during walks on Dec. 16 and Dec. 24.
The most serious biting incident involved a Secret Service officer being hospitalized after being bitten by the German Shepherd in the arm and back in the Rose Garden on Nov. 3, according to the report.
Jean-Pierre argued Commander’s biting spree is a result of the stressful environment the dog endures at the White House during a July 25 briefing.
The Bidens’ second German Shepherd, Major, also was the subject of a biting incident and forced the family to send him and their former dog, Champ, back to the president’s private home in Wilmington, Delaware, in 2021. The dogs returned to the White House shortly after, and Major bit a National Park Service employee a few days later. The Biden family sent Major to live permanently with family friends as the Bidens adopted their new puppy, Commander, in December 2021.