A junior Navy sailor faced disciplinary action for attempting to access President Joe Biden's medical records through a government database in February. This breach, which was carried out on Feb. 23, involved the sailor searching for "Joseph Biden" three times in the Military Health System's electronic health record, MHS Genesis. The U.S. Navy revealed the breach on Tuesday, as reported by ABC News.
According to a U.S. official who spoke to ABC News, the sailor's actions were reported by a co-worker, prompting an investigation into the violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The incident took place at the Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Fort Belvoir.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) was alerted on Feb. 26, detailed by the Navy in a statement, and the investigation was concluded on April 24. The sailor admitted to conducting the searches out of curiosity but did not access President Biden's actual medical records, CBS News confirmed. Navy Commander Tim Hawkins assured that "at no time was the President's personal information compromised," as the system used is highly secure and the president's records are further protected.
Despite the attempted breach, it has been confirmed that President Biden's medical information remained safe. The president was informed of the incident shortly after the Department of Defense notified White House staff, according to ABC News. This notification came just before Biden's annual physical at Walter Reed National Medical Center on February 28, a visit that was planned well in advance and unaffected by the security breach, CBS News reported.
Following his physical, President Biden was declared "fit for duty" by his physician, Kevin O'Connor. The examination, which lasted about two and a half hours, identified no new health concerns aside from a diagnosis of sleep apnea. This assessment mirrored the president's previous health evaluations, reaffirming his capacity to fulfill his responsibilities without any accommodations, as per CBS News.
The incident coincided with heightened scrutiny of President Biden's health and age, especially in light of a special counsel report from earlier in February. This report, issued by Robert Hur, evaluated Biden's handling of classified documents and raised concerns about his memory and overall fitness. These developments have fueled ongoing debates regarding the president's capability to serve another term, with figures like Republican candidate Nikki Haley calling for mental competency tests for both Biden and former President Donald Trump, CBS News reported.
