WASHINGTON — Kristi Noem suggested Sunday that President Joe Biden’s dog Commander should meet a similar fate to her 14-month-old dog Cricket, who the South Dakota governor reportedly described shooting and killing in his upcoming book.
“Joe Biden’s dog attacked 24 Secret Service people. So how many people are enough to be attacked and dangerously injured before you make a decision about a dog and what to do with it?” Noem, who is considered a potential running mate for former President Donald Trump, said in an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Commander, a German shepherd, was moved out of the White House last year after a series of biting incidents.
According to CBS News, Noem’s memoir due out this week, also includes a reference to Commander. In the book, Noem says that if he managed to get to the White House, he would first make sure Biden’s dog was not there. “Commander, say hello to Cricket,” she imagines herself saying, according to CBS News.
When “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan pointed out that the commander no longer lives in the White House and asked Noem if she meant that Biden’s dog should be shot, Noem responded, “That’s why the president must be held accountable.”
The White House and Biden’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Noem on Sunday continued to defend her account of killing her dog. The incident will be described in his next book; The story came to light when The Guardian got an advance copy.
NBC News has not obtained a copy of Noem’s book and cannot independently confirm The Guardian’s reporting.
In her book, Noem allegedly describes her dog as “less than useless” and “untrainable.” She also details how Cricket killed a neighbor’s chickens, according to The Guardian. After shooting her dog, Noem allegedly killed her family’s goat, which she called “nasty and cruel.”
“I made a difficult choice. I think you’re a mother too. And you have young children,” Noem said in Sunday’s interview. “Would you choose between your children or a dangerous animal? And I think I would ask everyone in the country to put themselves in that situation.”
Asked why she didn’t take the dog to a shelter instead of putting it down, Noem said Cricket was “a working dog” who “came from a family that already had issues with this dog.”
“I didn’t ask anyone to take on this responsibility for me. … I had to make this decision alone,” she added.
Noem has repeatedly defended her decision, which she said she made more than 20 years ago, saying her dog was a “working dog,” “not a puppy.”
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