Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee for New Jersey governor, was barred from walking with her class at the U.S. Naval Academy’s 1994 graduation ceremony because of her involvement in a massive cheating scandal.
According to a May 1994 commencement program obtained by the New Jersey Globe, Sherrill’s name was omitted. She has said she was excluded because she refused to implicate classmates. “I didn’t turn in some of my classmates, so I didn’t walk, but graduated and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy,” she told the outlet.
The cheating controversy stemmed from a 1992 electrical engineering exam that implicated roughly 130 midshipmen from the Class of 1994. As fallout, 24 midshipmen were expelled and many others faced lesser punishments. The scandal drew congressional scrutiny and prompted the resignation of the Naval Academy superintendent.
Per Axios:
CBS News reported that the National Personnel Records Center, a division of the National Archives that deals with military service members’ records, released Sherrill’s full military file almost completely unredacted.
The documents were reportedly given to Nicholas De Gregorio, an ally of Ciattarelli, who told the outlet it is “completely and totally false” that the Trump administration released the records to damage Sherrill politically.
NPRC spokesperson Grace McCaffrey said in a statement to Axios that the records were released “in error” and that the technician who released them “did not follow NPRC’s standard operating procedures.”
On Thursday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York reacted sharply to the reports, declaring that he wanted a “criminal investigation” into whether the National Archives had broken federal law in releasing Sherrill’s records.
Delivering a forceful rebuke, Jeffries declared: “I support a criminal investigation into the unauthorized and illegal release of Mikie Sherrill’s records.”
Jeffries went on to praise Sherrill’s record of service, underscoring what he saw as the stakes of the controversy. “Mikie Sherrill is a patriot and a hero who has served this country, graduated from the Naval Academy, helicopter pilot, tours of duty in dangerous places overseas in the Middle East,” his voice rising with emphasis.
Then he turned his attention directly toward the president and his allies. “It’s outrageous that Donald Trump and his administration and political hacks connected to them continue to violate the law, and they will be held accountable.”
The allegations have resurfaced as a flashpoint in her gubernatorial race, where polls show a tightening contest with Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli. Both campaigns have begun trading accusations over transparency and character.
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Actually Hakeem, The American People want to know the history of any member of the Socialist Democrat Party that is running for higher office. Please don’t pretend there were no leaks by Democrats over the last 3 decades. We know what you are.
Jeffries is more concerned with protocol details than with truth regarding her record and her character. This is quite revealing about him. I notice when it concerns a Conservative his opinion of the importance of one aspect versus the other is 180 degrees. Very hypocritical.