Political Tensions Rise Over Leaked Military Records
Miki Sheryl, the Democratic governor of New Jersey, has turned her military records into a focal point of her campaign, hitting back at the Trump administration and her opponent, Jack Ciattarelli.
In recent advertisements, lawmakers have accused the Trump administration of unlawfully leaking her private records, criticizing Ciattarelli for not returning them. This comes amid polling that shows Sheryl has lost ground in the race.
“It’s not just a scandal; it’s illegal,” says the narrator in the ads. “The Trump administration unlawfully released private military records of respected naval helicopter pilot Mikie Sherrill to the Jack Ciattarelli campaign, including her Social Security number and even her retired parents’ home address.”
“Jack’s campaign distributed her records anyway—it broke the law,” the narrator continues. “They broke the law to target veterans. Just think about what Jack Ciattarelli might do to you.”
The new wave of advertisements comes as voting shows a tighter race than previously anticipated. Sheryl currently holds a 4.7 percentage point lead over Ciattarelli, according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling.
This is a notable decrease from an 8.3% lead she had at the start of last month. Recent surveys show her narrowly ahead, with Sheryl at 48.1% compared to Ciattarelli’s 45.8%, reflecting a significant drop from her earlier 10-point advantage.
Last week, it was reported that Sheryl’s military files included unedited details like life insurance data and her home address, which raises serious privacy concerns.
The National Archives and Records Administration had transferred these documents to political operative Nicolas de Gregorio via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, which was later deemed problematic.
In response to inquiries from CBS News, the National Archives stated that “technicians should not release the entire record.”
This revelation comes alongside news that Sheryl was not permitted to walk with her classmates during her 1994 Naval Academy graduation due to her involvement in a major fraud scandal. “I didn’t walk, but I graduated and served nearly 10 years as a US Navy officer with distinction,” she commented in response to the allegations.
Despite the ongoing attacks, Ciattarelli’s supporters assert that the documents acquired through the FOIA request bear no relation to the fraud scandal.
Chris Russell, a GOP strategist for Ciattarelli, mentioned last month that “the National Archives provided documents in response to a legitimate and completely legal FOIA.” He stressed that the documents are not connected to the scandal and noted that the Archives later apologized to the requester for the mix-up.
As of Tuesday, inspectors from the National Archives and the Bureau of Records have confirmed that they are investigating the release of Sheryl’s sensitive military records.
