At least a dozen employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are under criminal investigation after it was found that the records of the two vice-presidential nominees, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), were improperly accessed.
Instead of focusing on helping veterans…
VA employees spent time digging up JD Vance's medical records… wtf? pic.twitter.com/FEZDXF2cRb
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) October 1, 2024
VA officials notified Vance and Walz, both of whom are veterans, about the records breach immediately after it was discovered.
In a statement to the New York Post, VA press secretary Terrence Hayes confirmed: “We reported to law enforcement allegations that VA personnel may have improperly accessed Veteran records. 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.”
Employees of the VA’s healthcare sector, the Veterans Health Administration, improperly accessed the records using VA computers located in government offices. Federal prosecutors have received evidence from the office of the VA inspector that multiple employees had accessed the information, including a physician and a contractor, both of whom looked through the candidates’ medical files.
The breach was reportedly discovered in September during a routine review of high-profile accounts within the VA.
It is unclear at the moment whether Vance and Walz’s records have been leaked. It is also unclear what the motivation was behind the improper access, though some of the individuals caught doing so have claimed that they were merely curious. Fortunately for Vance and Walz, the employees who accessed the medical files did not have access to disability compensation records, which are kept much more secure.
After the breach was discovered, VA Secretary Denis McDonough sent a department-wide memo to all employees, reminding them about the importance of privacy.
“Veterans trust us to respect their privacy and protect the confidentiality of their information,” he wrote, according to a copy of the memo obtained by the New York Post. “We earn this trust by adhering to our core values of integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence in everything we do – and by making sure that that we follow all laws and policies when accessing and safeguarding Veteran data.”
The employees who improperly accessed the candidates’ files could face up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $50,000 if they are found guilty of violating federal privacy laws.
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), who is also a veteran and the chairman of Veterans For Trump, responded to the news by demanding that the VA immediately fire every single employee who improperly accessed Vance and Walz’s files.
As a combat-injured veteran, I trust the VA to handle my medical records with care. That trust was broken when a dozen of VA employees accessed the medical records of the future vice president.
The VA needs to FIRE these employees and refer them for prosecution immediately.
— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) October 1, 2024
In a letter to the VA Secretary, Mast demanded a “swift response and action to prevent such egregious violations of privacy within the VA from occurring again.”
“I urge you to buck the employee union of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and immediately fire the employees who were caught snooping into the private medical records of Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz – who are both running to be vice president. VA employees know this is not permitted. As a combat-injured veteran, I rely on the VA for my medical care. This isn’t just a legal misstep; it’s a breach that undermines veterans’ confidence in the VA and raises serious questions about the professionalism of VA personnel,” Mast wrote in the letter, which was first obtained by Fox News Digital.
“Dismissing these employees and referring them to the Justice Department for prosecution, provided there is evidence that laws were broken, is the first step the VA must take to restore credibility,” he continued. “Furthermore, I urge you to fully brief Congress on how this violation of privacy transpired and implement new guidelines to prevent such acts from occurring in the future.”
Mast, who served in the U.S. Army for 12 years and lost both of his legs to catastrophic injuries while working as a bomb disposal expert in Afghanistan, also demanded that the FBI get involved in the investigation to determine whether the breaches involved foreign election interference.
“Given the recent foreign meddling in our elections – like Iran’s assassination plots against President Trump – I also request your department coordinate with the FBI to ensure Senator Vance and Governor Walz’s medical information was neither shared with foreign operatives nor accessed on their behalf,” Mast added. “Safeguarding sensitive information about our public officials is critical to national security and the integrity of our democracy.”
