US Navy sailor tried to access Biden's health records

[July 10, 2024]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy sailor tried to access President Joe Biden's health records "out of curiosity" but failed, the Navy said on Tuesday, adding that Biden's medical records were not compromised at any time.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at a campaign event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 7, 2024. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo

In a statement, the Navy said that in February it was notified that a sailor had tried to search "Joe Biden" in the military's electronic health records system.

A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the sailor tried to access the records three times within the span of a few hours.

"The record the sailor accessed was not the electronic record of the President of the United States... (the) system is a secure health system and at no time was the President's personal information compromised," the statement added.

A coworker had reported the sailor's attempt and the Navy concluded its investigation in April. The sailor was administratively punished but is still in the Navy.

Biden is battling criticism from some Democrats that he lacks the mental acuity to stand as their nominee against Trump in the Nov. 5 presidential election. Biden has, however, said he will not abandon his campaign, telling MSNBC via phone on Monday that he was "not going anywhere".

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart, Editing by Nick Zieminski)

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