A mistake by a technician at the National Archives has sent shockwaves through New Jersey’s closely-watched gubernatorial race. On Thursday, the Archives revealed the unredacted military records of Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, who is running for governor. The release included personal details like her Social Security number, sparking outrage from Sherrill and some of her Democratic allies, who believe it was no accident.
Sherrill, along with her supporters, is calling for an investigation, accusing the Trump administration of using the federal government to target political opponents. “Well, it’s really scary in these times, of course, to have all that private information in the public,” Sherrill said Friday on MSNBC. “But I think what this shows too, is that my opponent and the Trump administration will stop at nothing. They will completely weaponize the federal government to achieve what they want”, reported ABC News.
The release was a response to a routine request for records and included details about Sherrill’s distinguished Navy career, such as a 1991 medal for saving a fellow sailor’s life. However, along with the positive aspects of her service, the records also showed unredacted personal information.
When asked if she suspected anything “nefarious” about the release, Sherrill responded, “I more than suspect.”
Sherrill’s Republican opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, quickly seized on the situation. His campaign said the records contained “stunning” revelations about Sherrill’s involvement in a notorious 1994 cheating scandal at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Over 130 Midshipmen were implicated, though no documents have shown Sherrill was directly involved in the cheating itself. The records do suggest, however, that Sherrill didn’t report her classmates, which resulted in her not being allowed to walk at graduation.
Despite this, Sherrill maintained the scandal was a long-ago incident that didn’t reflect poorly on her military service. “This was a 30-year-old widely reported incident that does not reflect on my military service,” she said. “The Navy had no issue with me graduating, as my graduation and commission dates were the same.”
Sherrill’s campaign has not provided further documentation on the matter, but the Navy’s records do suggest no issues with her graduation.
The controversy deepened with reports that the request for Sherrill’s records came from a Ciattarelli ally, Nicholas De Gregorio, who was reportedly working with political operative Chris Russell. CBS News, which first reported the records release, said the request wasn’t related to the cheating scandal but rather a broader investigation into Sherrill’s background.
Russell, defending the records request, pointed to the National Archives’ apology for releasing the full, unredacted files. “The National Archives provided documents in response to a legitimate and perfectly legal FOIA request,” he said on X (formerly Twitter). “Now… it’s time for Rep. Sherrill to come clean and authorize release of all of her records.”
The National Archives admitted the error in a letter shared by Sherrill’s campaign, explaining that it should have only released information that was public under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The Archives also reached out to De Gregorio, asking him not to disseminate the information further.
Sherrill’s campaign is now considering legal action and has sent letters to the National Archives, Ciattarelli’s campaign, Russell, and De Gregorio. “We are calling on Jack Ciattarelli and the Trump administration to immediately stop illegally distributing Mikie Sherrill’s military files, with protected personal information like her Social Security Number,” said campaign spokesperson Sean Higgins. “We will explore appropriate legal action.”
Sherrill herself added, “To have a guy I’m running against who will stop at nothing to illegally obtain records, it’s beyond the pale.”