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Navy sailor disciplined for trying to access Biden's health records early this year

The Defense Department says a Navy sailor tried to access President Joe Biden’s medical records early this year, but no personal information was compromised

Lolita C. Baldor
Wednesday 10 July 2024 01:56 BST
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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A Navy sailor tried to access President Joe Biden's medical records early this year, but the Pentagon said no information was compromised.

According to the Navy, a sailor assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command searched for the name “Joseph Biden” in the military's health care system, called Genesis. The Navy said the sailor searched “out of curiosity.”

A co-worker reported the breach of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigated and concluded that the record the sailor accessed was “not the electronic record of the President of the United States."

Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was informed in February of the incident and so was the White House.

According to a defense official, the sailor, who has not been identified, received administrative discipline and remains in the Navy.

The attempted breach was first reported by CBS.

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