As the first family’s German shepherd rescue dog Major made headlines in 2021 due to a “biting incident” involving a member of White House security, the president was allegedly unconvinced that Secret Service agents told the truth about what happened.
“Somebody was lying, Biden thought, about the way the incident had gone down,” Whipple writes in the book, perThe Hill. One of the reasons for Biden’s skepticism, Whipple says, is that the area of the White House where Major reportedly injured an agent is somewhere that Secret Service rarely goes.
The Bidens adopted Majorfrom the Delaware Humane Association in 2018, and temporarily relocated the dog back to their home in Delaware in 2021 after CNNpublished an articleabout the so-called biting incident.
According to the network, Major had exhibited additional aggressive behavior, such as “charging” at the White House security and staff.
Shortly after Major’s behavior became a nationwide topic of conversation,Biden told ABC News’George Stephanopoulosthat “Major did not bite someone and penetrate the skin.”
“What happens is … what surprised me is the White House itself, living there: Every door you turn to, there’s a guy there in a black jacket,” the president said. “You turn a corner and there’s two people I don’t know at all. And they move — and he moves to protect. But he’s a sweet dog,” Biden said of Major.
“The dog’s being trained now [with] our trainer at home in Delaware,” the president said.
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden (right) with dogs Champ and Major.White House/News Pictures/Shutterstock
By December 2021, though, the family announcedthey had re-homed Majorand welcomed a new dog — the German shepherd puppy Commander — to the White House.
Michael LaRosa, a spokesman for first lady Dr. Jill Biden, previously said in a statement that Major would not be returning to live at the White House, as that is what the first family believed was best for the pet.
“After consulting with dog trainers, animal behaviorists, and veterinarians, the First Family has decided to follow the experts' collective recommendation that it would be safest for Major to live in a quieter environment with family friends,” LaRosa said. “This is not in reaction to any new or specific incident, but rather a decision reached after several months of deliberation as a family and discussions with experts.”
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Elsewhere in Whipple’s book, the author claims that Biden has some general “discomfort with his Secret Service detail,” due to some agents being “MAGA sympathizers.”
source: people.com