WASHINGTON − Over a dozen employees from the Veterans Health Administration reportedly accessed the medical records of vice presidential nominees JD Vance and Tim Walz, breaking federal health privacy regulations, according to two sources who spoke to YSL News on the condition of anonymity due to an ongoing criminal investigation into these violations.

Investigators from the Justice Department are still trying to ascertain whether the medical records were disseminated or what motivated the employees to access them. Most of the VA staff members who examined the files utilized government computers in their offices. Among those who viewed the records, at least one was a medical doctor, and another was a VA contractor who spent a significant amount of time looking at the files, according to a VA source who cannot speak publicly about the matter.

These breaches come just before the first and only debate between the candidates leading up to the November elections.

Some VA employees explained to investigators that their interest in the records of Vance and Walz stemmed from the fact that both candidates are being closely followed during the presidential election, as stated by an official informed about the investigation. In certain instances, veterans’ service records can be accessed via VA medical records, according to the source.

VA spokesperson Terrence Hayes expressed strong disapproval of the breaches and confirmed that the department has notified law enforcement authorities.

“We consider the privacy of the veterans we serve to be of utmost importance and have stringent policies in place to safeguard their records,” Hayes stated. “Any unauthorized attempt to access veteran records by VA personnel is intolerable and will not be accepted.”

Representatives for Walz, the Democratic nominee and Minnesota governor, and Vance, the Republican nominee who serves as a senator from Ohio, did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

The VA has informed the campaigns of Vance and Walz about the incidents and has had VA Secretary Denis McDonough communicate to employees after the breaches came to light in August, reiterating the importance of respecting privacy laws.

“This message serves as a reminder that: Veteran information is to be accessed only when necessary for carrying out official, authorized duties,” McDonough stated in a memo acquired by YSL News. “Accessing a Veteran’s records out of mere curiosity or for reasons not directly tied to authorized duties is strictly off-limits.”

The VA Inspector General, an independent overseer, provided a briefing to federal prosecutors. It was reported that both the Inspector General and the Justice Department are looking into these matters, according to a VA source.

This incident also follows recent charges by the Justice Department against three Iranians accused of hacking into former President Donald Trump’s campaign efforts in an attempt to sway the outcome of the election.

More instances of federal data breaches

There have been sporadic cases where employees at federal agencies have breached U.S. privacy laws. From fiscal years 2012 to 2021, the IRS confirmed over 450 occurrences of intentional, unauthorized access to taxpayer information by their employees, as detailed in a Government Accountability Office report published in 2022.

The watchdog agency revealed that employees were found at fault in 27% of its 1,694 investigations.

In 2008, five IRS employees at a return processing center in Fresno, California, faced charges for committing computer fraud and unauthorized access to tax return information by looking into the accounts of taxpayers.

Prosecutors noted back then that IRS staff are permitted to access the accounts of taxpayers who reach out for assistance but are prohibited from checking the records of friends, family, neighbors, or public figures.