WASHINGTON – A U.S. Navy sailor was arrested on three occasions in February after trying to illegally view President Biden’s official health records, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
The service member, whose name has not been released, attempted to access the 81-year-old president’s private medical files while browsing an internal government database on Feb. 23, five days before the presidential physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, was set to release the results of Biden’s annual physical.
“The crew [Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command in Fort Belvoir, Va.] “Out of curiosity, he searched the name ‘Joseph Biden’ in MHS Genesis, the Military Health System’s electronic medical record,” Navy spokesman Lt. Commander Tim Hawkins said in a statement.
“A colleague reported a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violation by a seafarer,” he added.
The news comes amid lingering questions about Biden’s health and mental capacity following his dismal performance in the June 27 debate with Republican Donald Trump.
“The records the sailors improperly accessed were not the electronic health records of the President of the United States,” Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder said Tuesday.
“Secretary [of Defense] “The Navy was notified in February when it became aware of the matter,” Ryder added. “The Navy, through its various channels, also notified the White House at that time.”
Upon learning of the privacy breach, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) launched an investigation, which Hawkins said was concluded on April 24.
“The MHS Genesis system is a secure health system and the president’s personal information has never been compromised,” he said.
ABC News reported, citing US officials, that the perpetrator received administrative punishment and remains on active duty as a Navy officer.
Tuesday’s announcement confirms a new data breach involving uniformed military personnel.
In March, former Massachusetts National Guard soldier Jack Teixeira was sentenced to 16 years in prison for illegally accessing top-secret military plans for Russia’s war in Ukraine and leaking them online.
