Thu. Sep 19th, 2024
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July 9 (UPI) — A junior sailor in the U.S. Navy in February tried to access President Joe Biden‘s medical records but failed to find them, the U.S. Navy announced Tuesday.

The unidentified sailor on Feb. 23 searched a government database on Feb. 23 using the search term “Joseph Biden” three separate times but didn’t locate the president’s medical records.

Instead, the search results showed records for a different person named Joseph Biden.

The sailor used the Genesis Medical Health System database to try to access Biden’s medical records, officials said.

“The MHS Genesis system is a secure health system and at no time was the president’s personal information compromised,” Navy Commander Tim Hawkins told CBS News in a statement.

A co-worker aware of the attempted data breaches alerted the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which initiated an investigation on Feb. 26.

The junior sailor is based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia and is assigned to the Navy’s hospital corps and was administratively punished following an investigation into the matter, a federal official told ABC News.

“On Feb. 26, 2024, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Fort Belvoir was notified of an unauthorized access to medical records by an active-duty service member,” U.S. Navy officials said in a statement.

The sailor told Navy investigators he was just curious when he tried to access the president’s medical records.

The Navy concluded its investigation on April 24 after determining the sailor didn’t access the Biden’s medical records and never could because they are restricted.

The attempt violated the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, according to Navy officials.

The sailor continues serving in the Navy after undergoing administrative punishment.

White House officials were notified about the attempted breach and informed Biden within hours of the Defense Department informing them of the matter.

Medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., gave Biden a physical examination on Feb. 28, which determined he was fit for continued presidential duties.

White House officials released the physical’s outcome the same day that included a diagnosis of sleep apnea.

The Mayo Clinic says sleep apnea is a “potentially dangerous sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts.”

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