Commander Biden, much like Major Biden, has a “biting problem.” Major Biden was sent to live in Delaware, and then President Biden’s brother gifted him with a German Shepherd puppy, Commander. Last week, we heard that the Secret Service is suddenly known for their meticulous record-keeping when it comes to dog bites (not so much their enabling of domestic terrorism on January 6th) and they have records of “eleven” biting incidents involving Commander. Politico did follow-up reporting, basically saying that White House staff actually love Commander and he’s a really friendly dog, but yeah, he possibly bites a couple of Secret Service guys from time to time. Well, Commander didn’t even make it to Thanksgiving at the White House – Commander has been sent away, and “Secret Service” sources are crying to CNN about how Commander was biting everyone. What is actually happening here?
President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden’s 2-year-old German shepherd, Commander, has been involved in more biting incidents than previously reported at the White House, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN. While the US Secret Service has acknowledged 11 reported biting incidents involving its personnel, sources who spoke to CNN said the real number is higher and includes executive residence staff and other White House workers. Those bites have ranged in severity, from one known bite requiring hospital treatment to some requiring attention from the White House Medical Unit to some going unreported and untreated.
While the first family works for solutions to the ongoing issue, CNN has learned, Commander is not on the White House campus.
“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. They remain grateful for the patience and support of the U.S. Secret Service and all involved, as they continue to work through solutions,” Elizabeth Alexander, communications director for the first lady, said in a statement released first to CNN. Alexander continued, “Commander is not presently on the White House campus while next steps are evaluated.”
One source familiar with the incidents pointed to efforts from their colleagues to adjust Secret Service workplace habits amid broader concerns about workplace safety as they work to support the first family at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The situation has also revealed broader tensions between the Bidens and the US Secret Service. Sources suggest the relationship between the first family and the US Secret Service was first strained when the family’s elder dog, Major, caused an injury to an unnamed Secret Service agent before ultimately being sent away more permanently to Delaware. That incident caused a breach in trust, a source familiar with the dynamic said.
While the Bidens enjoyed a good relationship with Secret Service during the vice presidency, the Major situation caused “stress” for the first couple in their early days at the White House. That laid the foundation for a “combustible” relationship with Secret Service, which has since been exacerbated by numerous “last minute changes” to schedules – including spending most weekends away from the White House at Camp David or one of their Delaware residences – and “unrealistic requests” that strain the agency’s resources, the source familiar with the relationship dynamic said. There had also been questions of USSS agents’ political loyalty to former President Donald Trump, as detailed by Biden allies to The Washington Post during the presidential transition in late 2020.
People are talking around it, but I absolutely get the sense that President Biden still believes that certain Secret Service agents are lying about his dogs and/or provoking his dogs. One biographer said it outright last year, that the SS story of one of the “biting incidents” with Major didn’t make any sense. I also believe there’s a significant loss of trust between the Bidens and the Secret Service which has nothing to do with the dogs and everything to do with certain SS agents being MAGA-compromised. These people deleted all of their records from January 5 & 6, 2021. These people threatened Cassidy Hutchinson and called her a liar because she spoke about how Trump assaulted his SS detail. Basically: this Commander story might be a symptom of something a lot bigger and more nefarious. Just wait, Willow Biden is next.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, the White House.
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- Washington, DC – United States President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Dr. Jill Biden, right, pet their dog, a German Shepherd puppy named ‘Commander’, while virtually meeting with United States military service members on Christmas Day, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, DC, USA. Pictured: Joe Biden, Jill Biden BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2021 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC – United States President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Dr. Jill Biden, right, pet their dog, a German Shepherd puppy named ‘Commander’, while virtually meeting with United States military service members on Christmas Day, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, DC, USA. Pictured: Joe Biden, Jill Biden BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2021 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC – United States President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Dr. Jill Biden, right, pet their dog, a German Shepherd puppy named ‘Commander’, while virtually meeting with United States military service members on Christmas Day, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, DC, USA. Pictured: Joe Biden, Jill Biden BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2021 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC – United States President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Dr. Jill Biden, right, pet their dog, a German Shepherd puppy named ‘Commander’, while virtually meeting with United States military service members on Christmas Day, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, DC, USA. Pictured: Joe Biden, Jill Biden BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2021 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC – United States President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Dr. Jill Biden, right, pet their dog, a German Shepherd puppy named ‘Commander’, while virtually meeting with United States military service members on Christmas Day, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, DC, USA. Pictured: Joe Biden, Jill Biden BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2021 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC – President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington. Credit: Jacqueline Martin / Pool via CNP /MediaPunch Pictured: Biden BACKGRID USA 7 FEBRUARY 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Kiev, UKRAINE – U.S. President Joe Biden meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Monday. In addition to meeting at the Ukrainian presidential official residence, the Mariinsky Palace, where they also held a joint press conference, Biden and Zelensky walked around Kyiv and experienced a dramatic moment when air raid sirens sounded – warning of a potential Russian air strike. There were no reports of missiles hitting the city during Biden’s visit…They also visited the city’s St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, laid flowers on the Wall of Remembrance of those who died for Ukraine, and unveiled a plaque dedicated to the President of the United States on the Walk of the Brave in Kyiv. In a statement, President Zelensky said: “The first call on the night of February 24 last year, our negotiations, the constant and unwavering strong attention to our struggle and defense of Ukrainian democracy, as well as Mr. President Biden’s personal contribution to strengthening the position of freedom in the world – this is something that will always be remembered in history”. In his own remarks while speaking alongside Zelensky at the Mariinsky Palace, Biden praised Ukrainians for their fortitude and remembered how one year ago, when Russia invaded, many feared Kyiv might fall within days or weeks..”One year later, Kyiv stands, Biden said. Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you”. Pictured: U.S. President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky BACKGRID USA 20 FEBRUARY 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
This being all over the news seems like another distraction to me from the things that really matter, like the Biden Administration working more on forgiving cripling student debts and lowering the price of medicines.
Yup, it is.
The media barely covers any of the bills or issues that Biden is trying to tackle. They don’t give him any coverage or credit. The media just focuses on the horror show that is Trump. Trump’s indictments, Trump on trial, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump. The media would love to have Trump back in the WH because it will boost ratings to cover his antics to f*ck up this nation. I hate the mainstream media.
Biden is a fundamentally decent guy but I wish he could call out those SS officials who he knows are Trump supporters. I don’t advocate for animals biting and hurting people, but I too suspect Commander is just protecting his Dad. Without Commander there, who’s going to protect Biden? And yes, I believe the MAGAs have infiltrated the SS and they can be violent. Just see what’s happening at the NY trial for proof of that. Judge and staff being threatened by the crazies…
I definitely wish they could clean house of all of the MAGA/Trump agents. Of which I believe there are plenty.
Biden’s own Twitter talks about the things they do, but of course lots of MAGA and what I suspect are Russian bots are swarming the comment sections of those.
I check every day now what kind of things the administration does and there is so much good in it.
I am not American but I often talk about the things Biden does to my friends and family. Then they often say things like ” I didn’t know” “Wow, yeah that is actually pretty good”.
It’s part of the tabloidification of the mainstream press.
That $9B package is more to distract from the fact that Biden just restarted student loan payments. His package helps 125,000 borrowers which is cool and all but it’s not much when you consider $43.5 Americans have student loan debt amounting of $1.77 TRILLION dollars total. So while I’m happy for the .28% of Americans who are helped by this, it’s ultimately a teeny, tiny band-aid for a huge problem that plagues American society. FAR more drastic measures are needed to tackle this issue in an effective way IMO.
Was the Biden administration supposed to openly defy the Supremes? Personally, I think the administration is doing everything it can to achieve the goal against powerful forces.
I mean, he literally just did that with this package so I think that proves there’s ways to work around the SC ruling.. but my point is that none of what he’s doing goes far enough. He needs to get rid of the means-testing bullshit because doctors don’t deserve to start their careers out with $300K debt either. Nobody does. And it’s great that Biden is at least doing *something* but let’s also not forget that the former senator of Delaware still has DEEP ties to the state that is home to America’s largest creditors including Navient. So yeah, given that I always side-eye his half-measures…
He’s doing as many work around as he legally can. His hands are pretty tied by the SC ruling. They have VERY narrow parameters with which they can work.
Kitty, I agree that more “drastic measures are needed to tackle this issue in an effective way”, but if you think Biden can do that by himself you are wrong. Everyone seems to think that Biden can do anything he wants. He needs CONGRESS to approve a bill and he can sign. Then he can help. Don’t blame him when this is very much a Republican roadblock.
@ Kitten…
Thank you! Hard yes to everything you said. Especially considering the loans.
He is doing what he can, in many ways.
This is the difference between Republican and Democrat voters.
The Republicans love basically everything Trump does no matter how crazy.
The Democrats often don’t show the slightest enthusiasm and seem to love acting as if what the Democrats do is all not enough, not precisely 100% as they want etc and don’t even look at this often not being 100% according to their standards because they are being stopped by Republicans.
This is one of the big reasons Trump won in 2016.
Too many Democrat voters stayed home because everyone was only talking about the negative things. And not just with the presidential elections but other elections too, which is precisely why these obstacles exist in the first place.
Even here, when mentioning a good thing they do, someone immediately feels the need to jump in to talk about how it’s all not great blah blah.
I fear for the next elections.
Thank you, Kitten, for putting this into scale! The headlines really need to be: President could still use Executive Action to erase alllll of these loans but still hasn’t!
@DD if only you had read the subsequent comments and you would have seen why he hasn’t.
Maybe talk more about voting during all elections to people and why it’s important to remove those roadblocks instead of just stopping at ‘he did this, but not this’ without another thought of why he couldn’t.
(with people acting like this, don’t be surprised when the Republicans win the next elections).
DD, the last time Biden did something for student loans by Executive Order the Courts shot it down. He CANNOT do what you’re asking by EO–he’s doing what he can. You need Republicans in the house and senate to do what you want done.
The Biden’s had a german shep when they were VP/2nd lady and there were never any biting incidents. Different dog I know, but there is something more to this than meets the eye.
Poor Major and Commander.
I agree with this. Champ was around in a hectic environment and secret service agents and it was never an issue. The allegations that the Biden’s are just ok with dogs biting people is well beyond the pale. It’s not the first time they had a German Shepard in that environment so they had no reason to believe this would be an issue.
Many forget that the person running the secret service was replaced by a trump lackey who finally was removed. Besides destroying evidence really sounds like a praetorian guard ready to protect their corrupt leader instead of balanced law enforcement agents. Has every agent who deleted their texts been fired? How come that isn’t the story?
The secret service wants the dog gone. I think the dog knows who is not to be trusted and I believe Joe trusts the dog. I would keep the dog at the White House and too bad for the secret service.
I am with you on this, @Susancollins. Still, its heartbreaking – the dog experiences a cut. At an age where he needs stability. The Bidens experiencing that they are powerless and cannot solve the situation in their dogs favor even though it is their home, because there are people dominating the situation with probably ill intentions or at least bad energy towards the dog.
I’ve always thought it was partly why Joe goes home most weekends. Going to see his dog. Fun fact: his home is about 20 mins from me!
“exacerbated by numerous “last minute changes” to schedules – including spending most weekends away from the White House at Camp David or one of their Delaware residences – and “unrealistic requests” that strain the agency’s resources, the source familiar with the relationship dynamic said.”
Hmm, sorry, but this makes me so angry. Not sure if cursing is allowed, but FUCK these people. After all the bs they did on a whim for Trump, the insane expenses they charged on TAXPAYER dollars for “protecting” Trump at his hotels and Mar-A-Lago, protecting all of Trump’s arrested development children, the outrageous and obnoxious “protection” show the Secret Service are currently putting on in the NY courtroom for a FORMER president… I just…seriously fuck them and I hope they end up providing “protection” to their prima donna dictator right next to him in a jail cell
+1
THIS X10000
I will say I’m somewhat glad the dog is out of the WH, solely for his sake because it seems like he may be in the middle of something that has nothing to do with him and everything to do with SS being shady.
I’ve also seen videos of Commander meeting various reporters and he is very friendly in those. There has to be something about how the SS operates in the White House that bothers these dogs.
Liking this ad infinitum.
YES YES YES. This was my reaction as well. They’re complaining bc Biden sometimes likes to go to Delaware or Camp David but they were SILENT when Trump was jetting off to Mar a Lago or Bedminster every single freaking weekend?!!?!?
Whoever is putting this out there for the SS agents is doing a horrible job.
Yeah, where was their outrage when the orange turd was staying at his various properties every damn weekend and charging the SS out the ass to stay there?
SS needs to be burnt down and rebuilt from scratch. It has been completely compromised.
Also, gifting animals is a lousy idea.
It’s almost as if SS are delicate little flowers who have never had doggy training, they are terrified of any risk, and pivoting is just beyond the pale.
Oh wait. Aren’t they supposed to be bad asses that deal with absolutely anything and have had the best training available? Oh wait.
Also, for the weekend pivoting. How many times do they need to go to his home in Delaware before they’ve finally figured it out? Does his neighborhood experience drastic change every single week?
If they don’t like the dog that’s around the President whom they’re sworn to protect, why is training their agents with the dog off the table?
This deserves 10000 likes.
💯 agree! It’s such utter BS and the press is just regurgitating. So infuriating that even “serious” news outlets can’t hide excitement over more Trump/Republican drama and the only cover Biden to say he’s old and can’t control his dog (which is also code for he’s old).
YES! The Orange Turd was never at the White House and not one of them said s*** about that. I can’t handle the hypocrisy.
1000% right. The SS never made negative statements after it was reported that Ivanka and Jared wouldn’t let them use the bathrooms in their homes! Or having to protect Don Jr while he went on illegal wild game hunts. The fact the SS out out such a negative statement about the Bidens is beyond troubling.
Let’s not forget the time trump exposed the agents to a deadly virus in a enclosed environment so he could drive around like a little baby dictator. There were no vaccines available when he did this and he didn’t die because of experimental treatment only provided to the rich few.
But yes the dogs are the issue. 😡
I actually wish he wouldn’t come back to DE so often because I didn’t think trump should go to Florida and NJ either. The planes/helicopters needed use a lot of fuel. And for such a short trip. But you can’t drive or you snarl i95. Amtrak Joe would probably take the train if he could!
But any republicans criticizing can suck it because trump used more fuel, golfed the whole time and made TONS money off the SS staying there (and NJ, nyc and the trip to Scotland) and having to eat, rent golf carts, etc golf carts and they didn’t say boo. That literally enriched them millions at taxpayer expense. And it goes for his adult kids who had protection the whole time too. 😡 All those trips to trump properties and extensive travel.
Joe at least works and doesn’t charge the SS some crazy fees to stay with him. There’s been SS since he was VP so there was already space in the Rehoboth beach house. Not sure about the Greenville house as I think it was bought post retirement .
1000%!!!!
This. The Secret Service gives me a bad feeling.
This is the comment I was looking for, thank you, LadyE!
It is your job description to travel with, and protect, the President. Beginning and end. I can’t believe the audacity of these people to say the BIDENS are stressing their budget. JFC, we all watched as Donald Trump swanned around wherever the hell he wanted to, with any and all combinations of his children, but sure, taking the Bidens to their PRVATE HOME, or the vacation home of the President of the United States is a step too far, for the people whose entire purpose is presidential protection.
DC to Delaware is an easy drive, this is infuriating. Yes, I know they aren’t driving the Bidens, because they are the fucking President and First Lady of the United States.
I think the SS is lying about the biting. They know Commander didn’t trust some of them. I have no doubt there’s a lot of Trump loyalists hanging around. I wouldn’t trust the SS either. And I wouldn’t blame Commander if he did bite a few of them.
They bent over backwards for Trump but cry about doing anything when it’s Biden. Nope, I wouldn’t trust those fuckers.
I fully believe they provoked that dog into biting. Dogs give warning signs. These people are supposed to be elite security and they don’t know enough to avoid getting bitten by a dog?! Surely that’s covered in secret service school, FFS.
That said, do not give people animals as gifts. It’s a terrible idea.
Dogs absolutely give very easy to interpret warning signs, that anyone who works in law enforcement, and around working dogs recognize. I thought Major was perhaps a one-off, bad breeding, or whatever, it happens, too frequently with the over-bred breeds, but now I am side eyeing everything the Secret Service has said about Major and Commander. This is so fishy.
I agree completely. It is beyond fishy. I bet those fuckers were torturing those poor dogs.
Potentially unpopular opinion: I think it’s good that Commander is gone. A biting dog is an anxious dog and Commander deserves to be in a better environment. I’m really sad that the Bidens had these issues with their fur baby, but I think it’s better for him that he’s going to be in a place where Rs aren’t going to use him against Biden as well.
That’s not really an unpopular opinion, provided it’s true that Commander is biting, especially unprovoked. But I no longer trust the USSS and would not be a bit surprised if they were taunting the dog and/or the bites didn’t happen.
Yeah, I wonder if part of it is that the dog is fairly young and protective, but the agents have to be closer physically to the Biden’s than other staff would have to be. Commander thinks that is aggressive, and moves to protect, but it escalates.
Jen, if that’s the case, then the Bidens would know if and how frequently Commander was biting SS agents. The fact that there is tension around this issue tells me these bites are not happening in front of the Bidens.
It was believable, until they went after German shepherd #2. I don’t remotely believe the Bidens got two (I’m assuming they only get their dogs from ethical breeders) “bad” German shepherds, that are uncontrollable by a law enforcement agency that has dog trainers on staff, because they work with dogs all the time. The law of averages alone is scoffing at the Secret Service right now.
Agreed. It wasn’t a good environment for him and I think he’ll be much happier in a calmer space.
Complaining about Biden being out of town every weekend is a bit rich considering Trump was out of town most days of the week. I don’t trust USSS at all.
Agree 100%. Don’t trust SS AT ALL. MAGA has infiltrated them. Commander knows who is not to be truste. Read Carol Leonnig’s book ‘Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service’ to get an idea of how toxic the SS has become.
Thanks for the book rec. Amazon says hardcover is only $5.37!
Thanks for this recommendation!
The SS had to protect the president this year in Kyiv, in India, hell, he’s been globetrotting a lot for his job. And they’re complaining about going to Delaware and Camp David?? gtfu
He’s traveled internationally a lot but, yet according to republicans, he’s too old and decrepit to be president. Even Peter doocey on Fox, while waiting for a press conference in India, said the president had pulled an all nighter.
This is exactly my reaction as well. Did any of them bother to Google the distance between DC and Delaware/DC and Camp David? This is British media levels of a nonsensical excuse.
They are complaining about taking them to their home, which is basically right around the corner, in U.S. terms.
“Last.minute changes?” The Bidens are very predictable, they’ve always wanted to be home in Delaware on the weekends. And Camp David is a very secure place so they shouldn’t complain about going there.
The mango White House occupant left every weekend to Florida or New Jersey and charged absurdity high room rates for the agent’s rooms. USSS need to get over it.
Again with the crazy Trump loyalty…I do not get it!
Maybe they are all PO’d because they are back to having to actually stay in hotels at government rate, which are usually nice but not plush, and stick to per diem for meals, which is again fine but not Capital Grille budget.
Oh for heaven’s sake. Why is it so hard to believe that a German Shepherd, who is only 2 years old and essentially still a puppy, who’s been haphazardly trained, who lives in a chaotic environment – why is it so hard to believe that the dog is behaving badly? Why is it easier to believe that the victims are at fault?
This is a workplace issue, not a political one. If it were anyone else but the Bidens and they’d issued statements about how much they value worker safety, while still letting their dog bite everyone, we wouldn’t be playing Twister trying to shift the blame onto the victims. Fortunately for the Bidens and Commander, they’re exempt from any local animal control rules.
If it isn’t a political issue then why are the SS making it one by complaining about having to do their jobs??
^ this!
When I’m modern history has the USSS ever been so publicly chatty about its operations regarding POTUS?
And after what Trump wrought? (And their ridiculous visuals around him now?)
And after deleting the entirety of their Coup Day communications logs?
Because, while it’s in their job description to put their life on the line to protect the president, being bitten by the President’s own dog is not. And having an unruly dog around that bites is a distraction from their duty. And having a boss who doesn’t care if you’re bitten or not is a workplace problem. The only reason people are making this political is because the boss is a political figure, but imagine if Jeff Bezos brought his dog to work and it bit everyone – what would we be saying then?
NOT what I was talking about.I am speaking about the obvious politicalization of complaining about the Biden visiting their Delaware home on the weekends, meanwhile Trump took over 400 golf trips during his 4 year Presidency.
They also didn’t need to be exposed to Covid when Trump did his limo joyride without a mask.
But that was only a potentially deadly virus with no known vaccine or consistent medical treatment at the time.
I agree with you Eurydice. This is not the right place for this dog.
It is easier to believe that the victims are at fault, because there never have been any issues outside the SS people.
Not with WH staff, not with reporters or their crews, and if anyone has ever seen BTS pics or videos of how chaotic things can get with e.g. visiting foreign dignitaries and the press and everyone in the Oval Office – and never even a whisper of hostile dogs snapping at someone?
Yeah, it’s totally only to do with the SS people and their behavior.
That said, POLITICO is no longer in any way credible since they were brought by the German publishing house Axel Springer, themselves merchants of hate for profit “news”, right-wing xenophobic and misogynoir smears and lies. Think all of the British redtops rolled into one. And, OT, but they’re bidding for the Torygraph too.
It became one when the SS had the nerve to say it wouldn’t be happening if not for last minute changes and implying that Biden is lazy. Please.
It is absolutely a political issue for the reasons Kaiser laid out in her post.
Secret Service agents have meticulous records about Commander biting them but lost all their texts from the day of an attempt coup??? the SS agents are complaining that biden makes them go to Camp David on weekends but were silent about Mar a Lago? It’s absolutely political.
Workplace issues often can be political, so saying its one doesn’t mean its not the other.
The Bidens did the right thing in sending Commander to Delaware full time but the Secret Service agents 100% have an agenda here.
Maybe they have an agenda and maybe they don’t – Biden has the authority to change the whole detail if he wants (as he did when he first came into office) and he can appoint a new Director of the SS (as he did back in August of 2022). I’m talking about a dog that is biting people. And now it seems that the biting has not just been limited to the SS detail.
There is also the issue of guns. I think Secret Service are the only ones with guns in the White House.
Its always been said that the Secret Service agents will “take a bullet” for the President. So. ..bullets are a yes but a dog bite is a no?
I trust the dog far more than the agents.
There have been more stories about this dog than when trump exposed the agents to Covid pre vaccine and treatment during his silly joyride in the limo.
But sure it’s not political.
Speaking of meticulous records, have you taken a look at the ~190 pages of emails that right-wing Judicial Watch released? What is a soft bite?
And what about all the playful so-called “bites” of “no skin” that fearful SS agents worried were going to escalate? Supposedly there were 10 “bites” as of January this year. And now there’s one more so-called “bite” thru October? AFAICT the one true bite occurred when somebody in Delaware was having trouble with security panel and cracked open the door giving Commander an escape route. But then I’m not paid to parse through 190-pages of emails like Judicial Watch.
https://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/JW-v-DHS-Biden-Dog-Records-00612.pdf
Where was the story about the agents complaining that trump exposed them to a deadly virus without vaccine at the time for a little joy ride? There was no story and pretending that this isn’t political is dangerous. Trump placed a lackey as head of the SS and they hired agents with a corrupt mentality.
This is more than just about the dogs.
Because the dogs are somehow only biting Secret Service agents, despite Secret Service agents being a tiny percentage of the people they are around. It’s also an agency known to be corrupt, with many Trump loyalists. It’s not just the 1/6 coverup, there were agents assigned to Jill Biden who were involved in a bribery scandal that showed astonishingly bad judgment. Going back, there’s the time the Secret Service got caught with running with prostitutes on an Obama trip to Columbia.
So, yes, we don’t believe them when they say dogs who are sweet with everyone else are biting them. It’s retaliation. Article about the crazy bribery foolishness: https://nypost.com/2022/04/08/joe-biden-secret-service-agents-tied-to-bribery-scheme-report/amp/
When did I ever say I didn’t believe the dog was behaving badly? I’ve been critical of CNN for over reliance on unnamed sources, and granting anonymity to someone who characterized the relationship between the Bidens and SS in negative terms. And I’ve pointed out the main driver of this story is right-wing Judicial Watch who sued under FOIA for access to SS records and released ~190 pages of emails wherein we find the term “soft bite.”
BTW what the heck is a “SOFT BITE” because NOBODY has explained a “soft bite.”
Where did this notion that the dog has been “haphazardly trained” come from? Because “haphazardly trained” is not suggested in the CNN story here, not even by all the unnamed sources. Including the person granted anonymity to talk about a “hostile” and “dangerous” environment which has ruined SS relations with Bidens.
Still looking for descriptive answer on the SOFT BITE question.
Also “playful bite” – what is it?
Dogs will put their teeth on you, but there’s no pressure at all, as a warning. It’s hard to explain unless you’ve felt it, but it is just placing the teeth, with absolutely no pressure.
My idiot chihuahua mix does this, so I carry her, or crate her, if people other than our family are near her.
Christine – Thank you for that explanation of a ‘soft bite.’ So basically, multiples of these biting incidents uncovered by Judicial Watch right-wing FOIA agenda (that’s apparently bamboozled plenty of commenters on this site) fall under the categories of “soft” warning, “no skin” contact, and “playful.” I got that “Zero Fail” book recommended and it does not go through the period where SS deletes phone records, withholds phone records from J6 investigators, and gets help from Homeland Security IG who blocked the effort to recover the records. It also does not cover the period where T-rump is squirreling away classified records and may have got SS help moving boxes… AFAICT there’s basically one true ‘bite’ incident with Commander in Delaware when somebody had trouble with security panel and cracked open door allowing Commander to escape.
Two things can be true at the same time. There are deeply problematic agents working for the Secret Service and the Bidens are trying to evade responsibility for their dog biting people who work at the White House. I will be voting for Joe Biden next year. Full stop. But his handling of this reeks of denial and entitlement. The entire CNN article with multiple sources, including from outside the Secret Service, clearly states that the dog has also bitten people with no connection to the Secret Service. It also lays out how inconsistent the animal’s handling has been with multiple people responsible for walking him and the sheer chaos of dealing with a large guard dog breed in a place like the WH. There is more about the lack of reporting of the bites because it’s Federal property. All dog bites are supposed to be reported to some body responsible for health and safety.
I am just glad that Comander has at least been removed from this stressful situation and will be helped. As for the Secret Service, any agents on Biden’s security detail that he does not personally trust should be removed, and he should request the Senate which is controlled by Dems to conduct an investigation into politicalization of the agency.
There WAS an Investigation – it was Jan6th committee. And the SS deleted all their emails and texts regarding that day.
Exactly. The SS is deeply compromised and the Bidens know it (and by Bidens I of course include Commander and Willow)
From what I’ve read, Biden changed his SS staff when he first came into office. and brought in those who worked with him when he was VP. So, these aren’t the same people.
Still not my point. There is very clearly something dirty going on within the SS – and while there may not be anyone who is a TRumper in his immediate security detail they are still very much a part of the SS – and in the WH.
The January 6th committee did not investigate the politicalization of the Secret Service. They uncovered evidence of it, but it was not their task to investigate that. The Senate has oversight responsibility and should exercise it to determine how deep the rot goes and to make the public aware of the problem. This is a separate issue from the dog bites. Now that the dog is no longer on campus, the problem with the Secret Service remains. It would be a good idea to solve it.
And yet we are talking about an ultimately not very important thing while the Biden administration is doing many important, helpful things for many people.
This lack of attention for all the MANY good things the Democrats do will be a huge problem getting them voted back in again.
And the Republicans love these type of distractions.
Exactly, this is a distraction from the administration’s work, but also a distraction for those working in the White House. The thing is it’s a distraction created by the Bidens. They already had sent away one dog for biting and they had experience of what to do if it happened again – but they didn’t do it, so now it became a bigger thing. Still, it’s a misstep, not a crisis
@flowerlake I scroll through the New York Times app every morning and this story is waaaaaaaay down the page. Commander Biden is not getting that much attention on a national level.
Also, this is the second dog the Bidens had to rehome. Major was the first to go for biting.
@SM, I often check for Biden on Google: news.
Just did it again and this was the first topic that came up for me.
So that’s not just the NYT but media in general.
BrassyRebel I agree. I feel this is a newsworthy story and that both things are incredibly true. I’m glad the dog is no longer in the White House because it sounds like it was creating tension. I also dislike it when people ignore blaring facts to continue a narrative in their minds. The dog is reported to have bit other staff besides the SS. Dog bites should be reported as it’s a workplace accident– that is a basic operating procedure we all go through when a health incident occurs at work. No one should put up with dog bites when it is not directly related to their job; for example, the SS Agents who were bitten did not receive them in an active protective situation from a hostile dog threatening the President’s life. The President’s pet bit them due to poor ownership. That’s a problem
Speaking of CNN, did you watch that T-rump interview where Kristen Welker allowed him to walk all over and unleash a torrent of lies to cheers of his supporters that CNN stupidly invited to the event (almost like political advertising)? Seems I missed it. Anyhow this excessively long CNN article replete with unnamed sources who “had knowledge” of other bites, but then those bites also might have been covered in the reported 11, reminds me of other reporting choices CNN has made in recent years. There is a lot of reliance on unnamed sources, and lots of “quotes” about SS-Biden relationship from someone who requested anonymity. I’d prefer more verifiable reporting.
“Bidens are trying to evade responsibility for their dog biting people who work at the White House.”
Wow.
You sound exactly like the person who can explain to me what a “soft bite” is. Posting the Judicial Watch email release link again for reference:
https://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/JW-v-DHS-Biden-Dog-Records-00612.pdf
LOL Judicial Watch
Concern Fae, you find a copy of the FOIA response, so these are copies of real documents.
“LOL Judicial Watch”
What did you think was driving the story?
CNN didn’t just all of a sudden one day decide to do a story with a whole lot of unnamed sources, and grant “anonymity” to a source upon request, then regurgitate Anon’s aspersions about the Bidens and their trouble getting along with SS.
Agreed w all of the above. We need a Congressional investigation into the Trumpification of the USSS.
There is a picture released today of Commander biting the White House groundskeeper. I have a 3 year old GSD, they are amazing dogs but very protective and need a lot of training. Clearly the WH is not the right environment for him, nor has he been socialized and trained properly.
The story also says the gardener was not bitten in that photo but nipped after the Daily Mail posted this photo and the Biden staff checked with the gardener who confirmed it wasn’t an issue.
“There’s an emergency happening- oh wait, let’s skip trying to intervene and help, dig out my camera, and take pictures to sell later.”
Gotta wonder about -that- guy.
Someone suggested something similar on twitter I think; dogs can sense ‘evil’, maybe the ones who were bitten are who should be sent away??
These types of comments always bother me. For example, there is a history of dogs/animals being trained by racist owners to attack non-White people. I know this is especially true in the US South. So this idea that dogs are just naturally great at attacking when they sense “evil” is perturbing.
Dogs cannot sense evil. They don’t have any understanding of what evil is.
Dogs are not empaths, they’re not mediums, and they don’t have some kind of ultra-sensory sensitivity. They’re ANIMALS. I get that people love dogs but let’s stop anthropomorphizing them.
How sad for Commander and the Bidens. I’ve said it before, I’m #teamcommander and I think he’s picking up on stuff we don’t know about. I keep thinking about in books and movies, the people in charge maintaining a facade of calm and unity to the public while behind the curtain things are an absolute sh*tshow and falling apart. It feels like that. That there’s something behind this story, beyond Commander biting. They’re so focused on making us look at the misdirect of commander- what is the larger story they’re trying to distract us from?
The part in the cnn article about the secret service having beef with their President protectee because the Biden’s decided to change their weekend plans was eye-popping. I don’t believe that the Biden’s are the first people to ever change a plan on the schedule also,
I’m sure the Biden’s didn’t demand to go to something like Burning Man.
Let’s not forget that some witnessed actual criminal activity, at a minimum the boxes of secret documents moved to mar a lago.
These guys don’t take an oath to the man but the office and they aren’t lawyers with solicitor client privilege. Why didn’t they report the stolen documents right when it happened? Why did the archives have to figure out they weren’t returned?
Excellent point-Secret Service were right there when Trump stole the docs and when he tried to get the security video erased, among many other crimes they witnessed first hand-but didn’t report?! And the erasing of text and emails from 1/6? Definitely needs a huge investigation. I hope Commander is safe and happy wherever he ends up.
What POS Trump’s administration SHOWED is that are a LOT OF PEOPLE in the FBI/ATF/Secret Service/Military..etc who are FASCIST AF…have been for DECADES…a LOT of BS went down with the SS under POTUS Obama…but it was kept on the DL because that was the decorum that has ALWAYS been around the Secret Service…IT’S SECRET! I don’t believe NOTHING the Secret Service says…ESPECIALLY after January 6th…there’s an agenda being pushed & I KNOW the call is coming from INSIDE THE HOUSE🤬
There was a whole raft of “put the White back in The White House” folk’s swirling around during Obama’s Presidency and many of them were welcomed to the administration/support staff during Drumpf’s dumpster fire of an administration
It’s going to take a long time to air out the place and Biden has a lot on his plate already. It’s the usual Dems having to right the ship after Republicans try to sink it and trash it along the way. Corrupt Ss beholden to the cult vs their duty/oaths is just one example.
Get Sully Bush over there for the weekend, he’ll tell us what’s up.
Dog bites – tons of stories, exposure to potential fatal virus for joy ride – silence.
The media is partly to blame for hyping up a pretty minor story.
Remember on the movie Beetoven, when the evil vet pretended he was attacked by Beetoven so he could take Beetoven away? Something isn’t right here. Two dogs in a row with a biting problem that can’t be fixed with training? Something’s up with that.
Did the dogs live together? I’m not 100% sure on the timeline here but if Commander and Major lived together, it could very easily be learned behavior one picked up from the other. Or if they’re from the same lineage, they might just be more aggressive.
I’m not a big dog person, so when I hear about a dog biting, all I think is … get it TF away from me!
The dogs are definitely being politicized. The arguments are going to be “how can he manage the country if he can’t even manage his dogs?” Then they’ll try to appeal to all the dog lovers by saying he abandoned them.
There seemed to be no problems with SS going about their jobs and protecting the president and vice-president during any presidential terms until Trump. There seems to be no doubt that SS has been seriously compromised. Trump contaminates or destroys everything he touches. He has seriously compromised all the major institutions of American democratic society. Perhaps the Bidens’ two dogs are just a result of a breeding problem, who knows. Barney, Bush’s dog was supposed to have been a biter. On the other hand, everyone seemed to love Bo. I know for sure dogs can sense danger. And dogs can be loyal and protective. There are very skilled dogs working in the military and law inforcement. I’m not saying I believe that the dogs are targeting the SS, but this ongoing story about the biting German shepherds is very curious and people are going to try to find explanations for it.
The Clinton’s had someone from the USSS snitch to the press about a shouting match they had behind closed doors. I remember at the time it was considered a horrible breach of protocol, but he still got a book deal and the press was only too happy to report about it. Funny though how it’s only the Democratic occupants of the White House who ever have this problem.
Those working/military german shepherds come very specific breeding lines and a incredibly few amount actually make it through training.
Rather telling that Biden sent Commander away, as opposed to getting new SS agents. I guess some of you would see that as Biden having a death wish, ad opposed to Biden recognizing that his dog is a problem.
Also, WONDERFUL heading, if I didn’t know better I would have thought I’d stumbled across the Daily Mail, it’s so sensationalistic and misleading. After all, has BIDEN stated that he doesn’t trust SS???
The heading reminds me of DM-type headlines such as “Meghan (Finally) Arrives at Invictus, 2 Days LATE!” Maybe technically true but totally misleading
Satish More, well when Biden got the the Whitehouse, he insisted he get the SS detail he had as VP. Obviously, there was a trust issue right from the beginning. I think the reason people believe there is a bigger issue is because of the the things the SS has NOT done. They did not report that Trump took documents from the Whitehouse. They did not report that Trump continued to have CLASSIFIED documents in his possession.
Then, there is the one thing that they did do. They deleted all of the text messages, etc., around and on January 6th.
You tell me–do you trust the Secret Service?
A fantastic amount of ignorant comments here about this breed specifically. Biting incidents are not relegated to ONLY secret service-as if that is excusable. German Shepherds are a breed that naturally has a lot more anxiety than other working lines. The white house IS a chaotic place to a DOG that will constantly be watching every person that comes around mom or dad. If he is biting then he likely has past several signs that he is anxious/scared of his situation. German Shepherds are NOT like labradors in that they will always need training because they need that type of stimulation besides physical stimulation. For heavens sake, if this were any other dog 1/4 of these bites could have happened and he would be euthanized. If he wanted a guard dog then he would have had one trained for that specifically-which takes at least a year. The secret service is still a very sizable organization, if trust is an issue to the extent where they let their dog suffer the consequences they can replace these agents. He literally has all the resources in the world to secure his safety. You can still say he’s a wonderful president but acknowledge that this situation he is putting his dogs is not great. To know a dog’s nature and drives is the first step towards training and having a safe family member.
Since you sound fairly knowledgeable about German Shepherds, please explain what a soft bite is.
I’m bothered by this whole “sending away” of the dogs. I think it sends a bad message to people, and it’s very influential. Like this is the First family, they have enough resources to rectify animals’ behavioural issues. When your dog bites or displays any other problematic behaviour – you deal with it. You get a trainer, you participate in the training, you invest in your family, you know. It’s a living creature, a family member, not a toy.
I understand the additional complexity of political games here, but it must be handled. If you call yourself a Leader of a Free world you can stand up for your dog and do right by him (I find it wrong that we use “it” for animals in English).
Well just wait until J6 #2 happens and then all the hillbillies and anarchists show up with their dogs. The SS has basically endorsed that a “soft bite” just sends them into a tailspin There’s a message….. 🙁
The dog followed instructions from Biden