NJ Veterans 'Outraged' Over Release Of Mikie Sherrill's Military Records

The controversial release of New Jersey governor candidate Mikie Sherrill’s personal military records has stirred up “outrage” and “alarm” among some veterans in the Garden State – and beyond.

Sherrill, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot currently serving as a congress member, is running for governor as a Democrat in New Jersey. She is facing a challenge from Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman who has gotten an endorsement from President Donald Trump.

A recent poll found that the two candidates are neck and neck less than two months before Election Day.

A new twist in the increasingly heated race emerged on Thursday, when CBS News reported that a mostly unredacted version of Sherrill's military records — including her Social Security number and addresses for her family — was released to an ally of Ciattarelli through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The National Personnel Records Center said the unredacted record should not have been released, adding that it wasn’t known why the technician didn’t follow standard operating procedures. The center said it has contacted Sherrill's congressional office to apologize.

The Ciattarelli campaign has claimed the improper disclosure was the National Archives’ fault, which was given in response to a “perfectly legal FOIA request.”

Sherrill has argued otherwise.

“This is an illegal and dangerous weaponization of the federal government,” she commented in the wake of this week’s announcement.

“That Jack Ciattarelli and the Trump [administration] are breaking the law and exposing private records for political gain is a violation of anyone who has ever served,” Sherrill alleged. “No veteran's record is safe.”

>> Read More: Sherrill's Navy Record Personal Info Illegally Released, Campaign Says

CBS said it initially discovered the blunder while investigating whether Sherrill – a graduate of the prestigious Naval Academy – was involved in a cheating scandal that took place in the early 1990s. Two dozen midshipmen were expelled after obtaining answers to an electrical engineering exam and sharing them with classmates.

Sherrill was not accused of cheating. However, the congresswoman said that she didn’t get to walk with her fellow classmates during the Naval Academy commencement because she “didn’t turn in some of my classmates.”

According to CBS, the congresswoman had an “unblemished career in the Navy,” and as a midshipman, received a Navy Achievement Medal in 1991 for saving the life of a fellow classmate. She is listed as a “notable graduate” on the academy’s website.

Nonetheless, the Ciattarelli campaign has continued to attempt to link Sherrill to the cheating scandal – while demanding more information from the congresswoman.

Ciattarelli said that for the past eight years, Sherrill has built her entire political brand around her time at the Naval Academy and in the Navy.

“The people of New Jersey deserve complete and total transparency,” he added.

New Jersey Republican Party leaders backed Ciattarelli in a statement on Thursday, demanding that Sherrill authorize the release of her academic and disciplinary records from her time at the academy.

“While we respect her service, Rep. Sherrill is now running for governor and owes the people of our state full transparency as it relates to the Navy investigation,” NJGOP leaders insisted. “She is not entitled to the benefit of the doubt.”

Not everyone has agreed.

“I think ‘Not a snitch’ would go over pretty well in Jersey,” a social media user commented.

MILITARY VETERANS SOUND OFF

The incident has since sparked an intense debate about the privacy of military records when an election is involved, with left-leaning veterans in the Garden State sounding off about their concerns.

The New Jersey Democratic State Veterans Caucus reported that its members are “outraged” by the release of Sherrill’s records, alleging that it was “requested by Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign” and “enabled by the Trump-era National Archives.”

“Releasing a veteran’s personal information is not just reckless, it’s unlawful,” the caucus said. “It weaponizes institutions meant to be neutral and violates the trust every service member places in our government.”

“This isn’t about politics … it’s about protecting the dignity and privacy of every veteran,” the caucus added.

Other New Jersey veterans have criticized the release of the information while sidestepping the political nature of the controversy.

American Legion Post 109 Rutherford posted a message about the incident on social media, opining that “elements of Mikie Sherrill’s military record were released that should not have been” and calling it a “failure of the system at the archives.”

“That poses a danger to veterans everywhere,” the Bergen County-based veterans group wrote, emphasizing that its statement is being made with “no political agenda.”

“It’s important to focus on the underlying cause of how this occurred,” the Legion added. “Quite frankly, this type of failure is not only a threat to the security of the veteran but also their family.”

Criticism of the incident has also come from GOP military veterans.

U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, pointed to the unauthorized release of his own military records a few years ago during the Biden administration.

“The behavior was wrong then and it's wrong now,” Bacon said, commenting on the Sherrill disclosure. “The military must do better to protect veterans’ privacy.”

The VoteVets political action committee – which previously endorsed Sherrill – said the incident is a “new low” for the Ciattarelli campaign.

“If this can happen to Congresswoman Sherrill, it can happen to any of us,” the PAC stated.

The group reposted a video from Lt. Col. (Ret.) Casey Moes, a graduate of West Point who served more than 20 years in the U.S. Army, including tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“As a veteran and a citizen, it was alarming to see the egregious violation of privacy and security protocols at the national archives, where Mikie Sherrill’s entire military record was mistakenly released to her political opponent,” Moes said.

“It’s also sad to see this disturbing break in protocol now used in an attempt to smear her flawless military record,” Moes added.

• See Related: 2 New Jersey Congress Members Vote On Huge Military Spending Bill
• See Related: Rep. Sherrill Of NJ Pushes For More Reproductive Rights In The Military

This article contains reporting by Karen Wall, Patch staff

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