An investigation has revealed that the medical records of vice presidential nominees J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Tim Walz (D-Minn.) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) were improperly accessed by at least a dozen employees over the summer.
According to the Daily Caller, the internal investigation carried out by VA investigators found that these employees would be in violation of federal privacy laws, and could themselves face criminal investigations. The breaches occurred ,in the VA’s Veterans Health Administration (VHA), according to anonymous sources close to the investigation. Both campaigns have already been formally informed of the data being compromised.
Federal prosecutors have already been contacted by the VA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG), presented with evidence that could lead to charges. Among the accused employees are a physician and a contractor, who allegedly spent “extended time” looking at the medical records without proper authorization to do so.
“We reported to law enforcement allegations that VA personnel may have improperly accessed Veteran records,” a VA spokesman said in a statement. “We take the privacy of the Veterans we serve very seriously and have strict policies in place to protect their records. Any attempt to improperly access Veteran records by VA personnel is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
The breaches occurred in July and August, shortly after the announcements that Senator Vance and Governor Walz would be serving as the running mates of presidential nominees Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, respectively. The breaches were discovered after officials conducted routine security checks of all of the high-profile accounts with records stored at the agency.
Back in August, VA Secretary Denis McDonough sent an internal memo reminding all employees that “viewing a Veteran’s records out of curiosity or concern — or for any purpose that is not directly related to officially authorized and assigned duties — is strictly prohibited.”
The subject of both Walz and Vance’s military records has become a focus of both campaigns, primarily due to controversy surrounding the exact details of Walz’ service, including his rank upon retirement and when he retired. Multiple members of Walz’ former Army unit, including his former commanding officer and his former chaplain, accused him of deliberately abandoning his unit once he found out that the unit was going to be deployed to Iraq for war. Walz also lied about his rank, claiming to have retired as a command sergeant major when he actually never completed the full requirements to achieve the rank. These and other scandals have led to widespread accusations of stolen valor on Walz’ part.