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- President Joe Biden doesn't fully trust his Secret Service detail, a new book says.
- Some agents' response to the Capitol riot means he doesn't speak freely around him, per the book.
- Biden also questioned details over an incident where his dog allegedly bit an agent.
President Joe Biden distrusts the Secret Service, based on some agents' response to the Capitol riot and the story of one agent being bitten by his dog, according to a new book.
In the book, "The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden's White House," author Chris Whipple said that Biden stopped speaking candidly around agents based on how some reacted to the events of January 6, 2021.
He worried that there was too much support in the agency for former President Donald Trump, the book said, per portions quoted in an article by The Independent.
Whipple also pointed to the mysterious deletion of text messages relating to the riot from agents' phones as a reason for Biden's apparent suspicion.
The agency said there was no malicious intent behind the messages' deletion.
Biden was also influenced, Whipple wrote, by the allegation that members of former Trump's detail had cheered on the riot, Whipple said.
He wrote that Biden's trust fell further over details of an account of an agent being bitten by his dog, Major. Per the book, Biden thought parts of the account were untrue.
The White House confirmed Major bit someone in March 2021, and the Secret Service confirmed it was an agent. Biden did not deny that it happened but "wasn't buying the details," according to the book.
This included him disputing the apparent location on the second floor of the White House.
Per the book, Biden went to the spot with a friend and said "Look, the Secret Service are never up here. It didn't happen."
Whipple wrote that Biden's attitude to the service changed from when he was Barack Obama's vice president, nothing that he has many more agents around him now.
Whipple, an author and filmmaker, said his book was based on "interviews with Biden, chief of staff Ron Klain, and others."
In a statement to Insider, a White House spokesperson said the White House doesn't plan to "engage in confirmations or denials when it comes to the specifics" of claims made in books about the administration.
"The author did not give us a chance to verify the materials that are attributed here," the spokesperson added.
The Secret Service declined Insider's request for comment.
December 28, 2022: This article has been updated to reflect responses from the White House and the Secret Service.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/Ppw3xC1
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