A U.S. Navy corpsman was administratively reprimanded last year after trying to access President Biden’s health records, according to a new CBS report.
On Feb. 22, at the Naval Medical Readiness and Training Center in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, a Navy corpsman sat at his desk in the midst of the buzzing and quiet chatter of computers. A licensed civilian nurse and an army soldier worked nearby.
The routine setup took a turn when a colleague left his workplace, his Common Access Card (CAC) still logged in. This smart card, about the size of a credit card, provides access to secure military networks and facilities.
The group began discussing the security risk of unattended CACs, with one person noting the possibility of misuse: “Someone may be maliciously using your CAC if you walk away.”
Spurred on by “curiosity” and this conversation, the corpsman had access to limited files. According to a report from the Navy’s Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS) obtained by CBS News through a request for the Freedom of Information Act, a low-ranking sailor attempted to access the president’s medical records.
The investigation led to an extrajudicial penalty for non-compliance with obligations under the Unified Code of Military Justice. The corpsman, whose identity was detained, was downgraded from E-3 to E-2, was given a 20-day premium, and his salary was halved for six months. With two to three years of experience, the E-2 earns about $2,260 per month.
The CBS report says that during the risk debate on unattended CAC accounts, someone suggested that such access could be used to view the president’s health data. Curious, the Navy corpsman tested it by searching for “Joseph Biden” in genesis’ medical health care system. One entry appeared, the appropriate date of birth of which was confirmed through Google. The file was accessed for about 20 seconds, revealing minimal information, including the doctor’s name, which did not match publicly available details.
Realizing the seriousness of his actions, the corpsman closed the file. A female colleague advised her to report herself, but she delayed. Another coworker first reported the violation. The corpsman later confessed, citing curiosity and denying any intention to record, share or document the recording.
NCIS launched an investigation by discovering a link between a corpsman and political motives or hacker groups, although a reverse image search on his Instagram profile hinted at possible anonymous images. His laptop searches included terms such as “Biden” and “Anonymous.” His equipment, which was confiscated and analyzed, was eventually returned.
It was later confirmed that the record visited was not legitimate. The president was quickly informed by passing through an unaffiliated physical unit two days after the investigation began, where he was considered “fit for work.” The corpsman was subject to disciplinary sanctions, but he fully cooperated throughout the investigation.
