An apparent National Archives and Records Administration error has resulted in the unredacted leak of the naval records of gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-New Jersey.
“This is an illegal and dangerous weaponization of the federal government,” Sherrill said via X, formerly Twitter, on Sept. 25, sharing a news report of the incident and accusing Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli and U.S. President Donald Trump of “breaking the law and exposing private records for political gain.”
CBS News, which first reported on the release, said the record disclosure potentially violates the Privacy Act of 1974 as well as exemptions established under the Freedom of Information Act.
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The news outlet reported that a wing of the National Archives and Records Administration appeared to have release an “almost completely unredacted” version of Sherrill’s full military file to Ciattarelli ally Nicholas De Gregorio.
CBS News said it discovered the error while investigating a 1994 Naval Academy cheating scandal that implicated 100 midshipmen. Sherrill was not accused of cheating, the outlet reported, though she allegedly didn’t report her classmates.
This publication has not obtained nor viewed the records release.
In a post on X, Ciattarelli called Sherrill’s alleged involvement in the 1994 scandal “both stunning and deeply disturbing.”
“For eight years, Mikie Sherrill has built her entire political brand around her time at the Naval Academy and in the Navy, all while conceailing her involvement in the scandal and her punishment,” Ciattarelli said. “The people of New Jersey deserve complete and total transparency.”
NJ lawmakers, others, respond to Sherrill records leak
Members of Congress from New Jersey have taken to social media in response to the records leak.
U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, D-New Jersey, said on X: “Our servicemembers and veterans deserve to be protected from political attacks on their privacy and service. The people of New Jersey deserve to know if the Ciattarelli campaign directly coordinated with the Trump Administration on this unprecedented leak of personal information to attack a veteran running to serve as governor.”
Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, said Sherrill’s service “should be celebrated not twisted for political gain.”
National Archives response to Sherrill records leak
A letter addressed to Sherrill notifying her of the error and signed by Scott Levins, personnel records center director for the National Archives, was shared on the congresswoman’s campaign page.
Levins said that the release was in response to a June 2025 Freedom of Information Act request from De Gregorio, who had requested “all publicly releasable information” from Sherrill’s Official Military Personnel Folder documenting her Navy service.
Sherrill’s comprehensive record was released, the letter said, including personal information such as her Social Security number and date of birth.
“While breaches of this type do occur, they are exceedingly rare because the National Archives takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard the records it is entrusted to hold along with the extensive personal information contained therein,” Levin’s letter read.
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Kaitlyn McCormick writes about trending issues and community news across South Jersey for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times. If you have a story she should tell, email her at kmccormick@gannett.com. And subscribe to stay up to date on the news you need.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: National Archives leak unredacted Mikie Sherrill naval records