A U.S. Navy sailor was found attempting to illegally access President Joe Biden’s health records three times in February, the Pentagon revealed on Tuesday. The sailor, who remains unnamed, tried to view the 81-year-old president’s restricted medical file through an internal government database on February 23, just five days before Biden’s annual physical exam results were publicly released.
Navy spokesman Cmdr. Tim Hawkins explained that the sailor, assigned to the Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command in Fort Belvoir, Va., searched for “Joseph Biden” in the Military Health System’s electronic health record system, MHS Genesis, out of curiosity. The unauthorized access was reported by a co-worker, highlighting a breach of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary, clarified that the record accessed was not the actual health record of the president. “The Secretary [of Defense] was notified in February when the Navy became aware,” Ryder stated. “The Navy also notified the White House through channels at the time.”
Following the privacy breach, the Navy Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS) launched an investigation, which concluded on April 24. This incident comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Biden’s health and mental capacity, especially after his performance during the June 27 debate against former President Donald Trump.
