A junior sailor has been disciplined for attempting to access President Joe Biden’s restricted medical records through a government database in February, the U.S. Navy disclosed on Tuesday.
The incident occurred on February 23, when the unidentified sailor searched “Joseph Biden” three times, according to an official report.
“On February 26, 2024, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Fort Belvoir was notified of an unauthorized access to medical records by an active-duty service member,” the U.S. Navy said in a statement. “A Sailor assigned to NMRTC Fort Belvoir searched the name ‘Joseph Biden’ in MHS Genesis, the Military Health System’s electronic health record, out of curiosity. A co-worker reported the Sailor’s breach of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).”
It is unclear what records the sailor may have accessed, but they did not retrieve Biden’s records, the Navy reported.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service promptly started an investigation once notified about the search, which concluded on April 24, the Navy said.
The sailor received administrative punishment and remains in service, according to the U.S. official.
A White House official reported that President Biden was notified within hours of White House staff being informed by the Department of Defense about the incident.
Biden underwent a physical examination on February 28, two days after the investigation commenced.
The White House official stated that the physical was “previously planned and was not impacted by this incident.”
