Sen.-elect Jim Justice's team is clearing the air after it was reported earlier Tuesday that his famous dog, Baby Dog, had been banished from the Senate chamber.
“Even though I wasn’t in Washington, D.C. today, I made the most headlines,” Baby Dog and her team said in an exclusive statement to FOX News Digital. “But I want them to really focus on bringing things to this country to solve problems.”
Axios reported that Baby Dog Justice, the unofficial mascot of Justice's Senate campaign, was banished from the Senate chamber. But the senator-elect corrected the record.
Axios claimed in its report that the judge asked if he could bring his puppy to the Senate chamber.
Baby Dog Goes to Washington: West Virginia Judiciary Flips Senate Seat
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice's pet dog, Baby Dog, appears on stage during the second day of the Republican National Convention held at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“The senator-elect never intended to ask about Baby Dog or bring it onto the Senate floor,” the Justice Department said in an email.
The confusion began with a well-meaning joke heard among incoming senators touring the Capitol grounds during Tuesday's Senate orientation.
One senator-elect, who declined to be named, asked if children were allowed in the Senate chamber. According to House rules, it was clarified that infants up to one year of age will be allowed.
Moreno, R-Ohio, then jokingly asked if dogs were allowed in the Senate chamber, according to the Justice Department. Dogs are routinely allowed on Capitol grounds, including the offices of members of Congress, but not in the Senate chamber.
All about baby dogs: The governor's pet made headlines at the RNC
At no point during the exchange did the senator-elect request that his popular dog, Baby Dog, be brought with him to the Senate chamber, Justice's office said.
The celebrity dog first made national headlines at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee over the summer, when he sat on stage with his father, then-Governor Jim Justice, in a dog-sized chair. It was when
Baby Dog sitting in the RNC chair. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)
“I know many of you would like to meet my little buddy,” Justice said. “So, if Baby Dog comes out here.”
She has been a fixture in West Virginia politics ever since the judge's children gave her the gift for Christmas in 2019.
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice speaks with Baby Dog during the second day of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Seeger)
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“Baby Dog is with me in Washington frequently, and when she is there, I welcome you all to come into my office to say hello and meet Baby Dog,” said Senator-elect Justice. stated in a release. “Just as she has loved and made so many people smile in West Virginia, she will do the same in Washington.”
