Judicial Watch
Washington, DC – Judicial Watch announced today that it received 269 pages of records from the U.S. Secret Service related to incidents of aggression by President Biden’s dog Commander, including at least 23 biting incidents. After one incident, East Wing public tours were stopped for approximately 20 minutes due to the blood on the floor from the attack in the area of the “Booksellers.”
The records were obtained through an October 2023 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by Judicial Watch after the Secret Service (a component of the Department of Homeland Security) failed to respond to a July 31, 2023, request for all records involving the “Biden family dog, ‘Commander,’ including but not limited to communications sent to and from [Secret Service] officials in the Uniformed and Non-Uniformed Divisions involved in White House operations and the Presidential Protection Division” (Judicial Watch Inc, v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (No. 1:23-cv-02960).
Additionally, Judicial Watch filed a February 13 complaint for Biden dog records dating from August and September 2023 (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (No. 1:24-cv-00429)).
Judicial Watch FOIA requests and lawsuits exposed initial White House falsehoods about the severity and number of attacks by the Bidens’ previous dog, Major. Judicial Watch then received a tip that Commander was also attacking Secret Service personnel and uncovered documents last July showing 10 biting incidents.
According to a Judicial Watch source, President Biden mistreated his dogs. The source disclosed Biden punched and kicked his dogs.
The latest records forced out by Judicial Watch include a spreadsheet of 22 incident reports between October 2022 and June 2023, 10 of which requiring medical treatment.
On June 15, 2023, Dep. Asst. Dir. Darryl Volpicelli is sent a report via email regarding an agent who received a “deep bite” by Commander while “inside the Kennedy Garden.” The incident shut down East Wing tours for 20 minutes:
Video of the incident shows SA [redacted] 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 SA [redacted] jump towards [redacted] and take [redacted] to the ground. [Redacted] (grounds keeper), who was also in the garden at this time, put Commander on a leash after the bite occurred.
SA [redacted] said that [redacted] looked around the garden before entering it and did not see the family pet.
SA [redacted] sustained an injury to [redacted] left arm (‘deep bite’) that reportedly needed stitches. SA [redacted] was treated by [White House Medical Unit] at the Residence Clinic.
East Wing Tours were stopped for approximately 20 minutes due to blood from the incident being on the floors in the area of the Booksellers.
A January 28, 2023, email chain discusses three biting incidents, “2 incidents today and one yesterday.” Later that day, a Presidential Protection Division official whose name is redacted emails Senior White House Advisor Anthony Bernal that “Commander bit one of the Navy Staff” who worked at Camp David.
A photo is attached to a June 11, 2023, email from the Presidential Protection Division to Volpicelli with the subject line “Dog Bite.” The photo shows the torn clothing of an agent who was bitten in the chest by Commander while the agent was attempting to open the door for Jill Biden to the Oval Dining Patio area of the White House. The agent required medical attention.
A June 29, 2023, email written by an Assistant Special Agent in Charge in the Presidential Protection Division whose name is redacted with the subject line “Message to Team FLD [First Lady Detail]” states:
The recent dog bites have challenged us to adjust our operational tactics when Commander is present – please give lots of room (staying a terrain feature away if possible). We will continue to keep [redacted] in our sight but must be creative to ensure our own personal safety. The senior leaders of the detail and agency continue to address the issue at higher levels with staff and First Family – working to have a better solution soon. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
On July 29, 2023, nearly six weeks after agents had compiled the list of 22 bite incidents, another attack of an agent occurred at Biden’s Rehoboth, DE, home. The July 30 incident report indicates:
Commander ran towards the direction of post [redacted] booth and bit SA [redacted] in the left forearm. Causing a severe, deep open wound. As a result of the attack SA [redacted] started to loose [sic] a significant amount of blood from [redacted] arm. SA [redacted] remained calm and walked away from the area looking for help.
“These Biden dog attack documents again raise fundamental questions about President Biden and the Secret Service. This is a special sort of craziness and corruption where a president and first lady would allow their dog to repeatedly attack Secret Service and White House personnel. And rather than protect its agents, the Secret Service tried to illegally hide documents about the abuse of its agents and officers by the Biden family,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “That it took federal lawsuits to force the release of this information speaks volumes. The Bidens are lucky no one has been killed as a result of their reckless disregard for the safety of Secret Service and White House employees.”
In July 2023, Judicial Watch uncovered records from DHS in a related lawsuit revealing 10 attacks by Biden’s German Shepherd, Commander, on officers of the Secret Service between October 2022 and January 2023. In several cases the agents required medical care, including at a hospital.
In April 2022, Judicial Watch released records including incident reports detailing multiple attacks and damages caused to United States Secret Service members by President Joe Biden’s dog Major at both the White House and Biden’s lake home in Wilmington, DE. The documents also reveal that a member of Secret Service who was attacked by the dog was displeased that White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki misled the press about the incident.
