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The U.S. Navy confirmed to CBS News that a junior Navy sailor attempted to access the restricted medical records of President Joe Biden from a military medical database three times in February, but was unable to do so. The sailor, whose name the Navy will not disclose, was administratively disciplined after an investigation into the attempted breach ended in late April.
A U.S. official told ABC News that the incident took place on Feb. 23, and the unidentified sailor searched “Joseph Biden” three times. The sailor accessed the Genesis Medical Health System — the database for the military medical system, but “he did not pull up the right Joe Biden.” Navy Commander Tim Hawkins, said in a statement: “The MHS Genesis system is a secure health system and at no time was the President’s personal information compromised.”
The person responsible for the breach is a junior enlisted sailor serving in the Navy’s hospital corps and is based at Fort Belvoir, in Virginia, a major medical hub. The U.S. Navy said in a statement: “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. 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).”
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service launched an investigation Feb. 26; during the probe, the sailor admitted he looked up the president’s name “out of curiosity.” The investigation concluded on April 24, and according to the official, determined the sailor “never reached the president’s medical record” and could not have reached it by searching the Genesis system because the president’s medical record is restricted.
The president was informed about the sailor’s attempts to access his medical records within hours of White House staff being notified about the attempted breach by the Defense Department. Biden underwent his physical on Feb. 28, two days after this investigation began. The White House official said the physical was “previously planned and was not impacted by this incident.” The White House released a summary of the physical several hours later, with the president deemed “fit for duty” by his doctor after the physical that lasted about two and a half hours. Kevin O’Connor, physician to the president, said in a memo released the day of the physical: “The president feels well and this year’s physical identified no new concerns. He continues to be fit for duty and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations.”
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