The White House said Monday that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) should “stop digging herself in a hole” after suggesting that President Biden’s dog, Commander, should have been shot after biting Secret Service agents.
Noem recently came under fire for revealing in her soon-to-be-released memoir that she shot her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, about 20 years ago. In an interview with CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, she suggested that Biden’s German shepherd, which bit Secret Service officials at least two dozen times between October 2022 and June 2023, should have met a fate similar.
“I would tell her that she should probably stop digging herself into a hole,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
She added that the White House found Noem’s comments on Sunday about the Commander “disturbing” and “absurd.”
“Here, this is a dog-loving country and you have a leader talking about culling the dogs, killing them,” she said. “And that is a disturbing statement to say.”
Noem wrote in her upcoming book, “No Going Back,” that if she ever reached the White House, she would be different from Biden in the way she handled the Commander.
“Commander, say hello to Cricket,” she wrote.
Jean-Pierre said Monday that the commander is living with a family member in Delaware after leaving the White House in October.
Noem, who is seen as a possible vice presidential pick for former President Trump’s 2024 ticket, told CBS: “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?”
“This is an issue the president should be held accountable for,” she added.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
