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Topics: Joe Biden, US News, Washington
Tom Fenton
A freedom of information request has revealed the extent of attacks from Joe Biden's dog on a number of Secret Service agents.
Major, a German Shepard known as the 'First Dog', is alleged to have bitten people on eight consecutive days last year, leading to concerns amongst senior officials.
As The New York Post reports, the scandal became public knowledge after the lodging of a Freedom of Information Act Lawsuit by Judicial Watch.
The newly released documents show that one agent urged President Biden to personally pay for a damaged coat, after Major had shredded his original garment.
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Crucially, they also appear to show that bosses attempted to downplay details of the injuries, at one point rejecting an agent's 'excessively detailed' statement to spare upsetting the Biden family.
In March of 2021, White House press secretary Jen Psaki only acknowledged one of the biting incidents, suggesting it happened because Major 'was surprised by an unfamiliar person and reacted in a way that resulted in a minor injury to the individual'.
The bite in question, happened on the 8th March, was actually the eighth and final attack in as many days. According to official documents, the injured agent, whose wounds were labelled 'severe' by a colleague, was enraged at Psaki's remarks.
“NO I didn’t surprise the dog doing my job by being at [redacted] as the press secretary just said! Now I’m pi**ed,” the agent wrote to a co-worker.
The incident is reported to have taken place on the 8th March, while the agent in question was with first lady Jill Biden on the second floor of the White House residential area.
“Without warning or provocation, Major barked loudly at [the agent] … and charged,” the new report of the encounter reads.
“Having no time to seek cover from the attack, [the agent] turned away from the dog as he bit into [redacted] right leg,” it continues.
Later that day, President Biden’s then-chief protective agent David Cho typed in an email: “Major bit one of the agents this morning. The agent is ok, but does have bruising and a puncture.”
Records indicate that Major went on to bite the same agent for a second time. They were 'the only known PPD [Presidential Protective Division] agent to have suffered two attacks from Major in less than 10 days', according to a June email.
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