Rep. Brian Mast is calling for the Department of Veterans Affairs "to immediately fire the employees" who accessed the health records of vice presidential hopefuls Tim Walz and JD Vance, Fox News reported. The Florida Republican has also urged the FBI to investigate whether there was international interference.
A report Monday revealed that at least a dozen employees had been caught accessing confidential records for Walz, the Democratic Minnesota governor, and Vance, the Republican Senator from Ohio. These individuals are currently under investigation.
Mast, head of Veterans for Trump, sent a letter to the VA Secretary Denis McDonough demanding swift action. "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," Mast wrote.
"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 added.
As Mast pointed out, the VA now has a trust problem after at least a dozen employees dug into files where they had no business. One of the employees was a physician, and another a contractor who reportedly "spent extended time" looking at the files, among others.
"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. 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 wrote.
Mast believes this also warrants an FBI investigation. "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 wrote.
"Safeguarding sensitive information about our public officials is critical to national security and the integrity of our democracy," Mast added. The intelligence agencies have reported threats from the "big three foreign influence actors, Russia, Iran, and China are all trying by some measure to exacerbate divisions in U.S. society for their own benefit, and see election periods as moments of vulnerability."
The Florida lawmaker serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and was in the U.S. Army for 12 years. He was severely injured in Afghanistan and lost both legs due to injuries sustained in the line of duty as a bomb disposal expert.
VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes responded to the reports in a statement Monday. He wrote that the agency has "reported to law enforcement allegations that VA personnel may have improperly accessed Veteran records" as it takes "the privacy of the Veterans we serve very seriously and have strict policies in place to protect their records."
Hayes added, "Any attempt to improperly access Veteran records by VA personnel is unacceptable and will not be tolerated." However, the VA has not been forthcoming with any other information since then.
There's no indication why these records were accessed and what was contained in them. Notably, Walz's military service has been an issue in the campaign.
The Democratic governor has often implied that he was a combat veteran, the Washington Examiner reported. However, while serving with the National Guard, Walz retired just as his unit was about to deploy, which many see as a cowardly move.
Whether it was curiosity or political espionage, there's no excuse for anyone not directly involved in the care of Walz and Vance to access these records. The veterans who served our nation proudly deserve better, especially those who are running for high office.
