Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s (D-Montclair) campaign for governor released an ad Monday, accusing her opponent of sharing private military records as controversy surrounding the records and her time at the Naval Academy heats up.
The ad accuses Republican Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign of breaking the law in their handling of private records improperly released to a Ciattarelli ally. The Ciattarelli campaign has denied wrongdoing, saying the records were of little interest to them and that they were unaware the records they possessed were improperly released.
CBS News reported last week that an ally of Ciattarelli’s campaign requested publicly available records through a FOIA request; press and political opponents regularly request such records for background checks. The National Archive, however, improperly shared unredacted records that included Sherrill’s Social Security number and the addresses of her and her family. The Archive apologized for sharing the records in a letter to Sherrill.
The release did not specify how the ad will be distributed or how much money will back the ad.
The ad accuses the Ciattarelli campaign of failing to “return” the documents; in a letter, the Ciattarelli campaign’s attorney said they will not destroy the documents because of potential litigation, but also promised not to distribute any personal information from the documents. In the letter, the attorney said the campaign would seek defamation claims if the Sherrill campaign accused the Ciattarelli campaign of acting illegally.
The ad comes as Sherrill seeks to defend herself from scrutiny regarding her time at the Naval Academy.
Sherrill was barred from walking with her class at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1994 as a punishment connected to a cheating scandal that implicated over 130 midshipmen in her class. Sherrill has claimed she received the discipline as punishment for not turning in her classmates. The Sherrill campaign declined a request to permit public inspection of any disciplinary records from her time at the academy. Only Sherrill may authorize the release of those sealed records.
The controversies are distinct: the New Jersey Globe’s article on Sherrill’s apparent discipline at the Naval Academy was not based on the improperly released personnel files.
Script: “It’s not just a scandal. It is illegal. The Trump Administration illegally releasing respected Navy helicopter pilot Mikie Sherrill’s private military records to Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign. Records containing Mikie’s Social Security number. Even her retired parents’ home address. Jack’s campaign distributed her records anyway — breaking the law. Even now that they’re caught — Ciattarelli refused to return them. Despicable. They broke the law to attack a veteran. Just think what Jack Ciattarelli might do to you.”
