A former health care worker facing charges for allegedly posting the medical records of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on a controversial message board has denied accessing the documents. The accused, Trent James Russell, informed a federal court that he rarely thought about members of the Supreme Court, including Ginsburg.
Prosecutors claim that Russell accessed Ginsburg's medical records while she was battling cancer and shared them on the message board 4chan in 2019. Russell, who was working as an organ transplant coordinator at the time, has pleaded not guilty to violating federal medical privacy laws.
During the court proceedings, Russell's defense attorney portrayed him as a non-political individual who had no motive to harm the liberal justice. Russell testified that he and his colleagues shared passwords to navigate medical bureaucracy and that he never shared medical information for unauthorized reasons.
Prosecutors raised concerns about a possible antisemitic motivation behind Russell's actions, citing an internet search found on his computer. However, Russell refuted these claims, stating that a person's religion held no significance to him.
The investigation into the circulation of Ginsburg's medical records began when law enforcement noticed the documents online. The records were initially posted on 4chan, sparking explicit messages critical of Ginsburg and conspiracy theories about her health.
Details of the case, which were initially sealed, have now come to light. Russell, who resided in Virginia at the time of the incident, admitted to sharing his hospital log-in information with others, claiming it was a common practice at his workplace to expedite organ donations.
Ginsburg, a trailblazing figure as the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, passed away in 2020 after battling various health issues, including multiple cancer diagnoses. The case continues to unfold as Russell maintains his innocence amidst the allegations.
