GOP House members tell Sherrill to release cheating scandal records

Three Republican congressmen from New Jersey are calling on Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) to authorize the immediate release of all military records connected to her involvement in the 1994 U.S. Naval Academy cheating scandal.

Reps. Christopher Smith (R-Manchester), Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), and Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield) said it was “imperative” that Sherrill reveal her Annapolis record.

“The only way that level of transparency can be achieved is for all of Representative Sherrill’s academic, disciplinary, and investigatory records to be made public – something only Representative Sherrill can authorize,” the three House members stated.  “If those sealed disciplinary records match Representative Sherrill’s current explanation, we are unsure why she would refuse to release the records and put this matter to rest.”

Last week, Sherrill acknowledged she was prevented from walking with her class at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1994 as a punishment connected to the massive cheating scandal.

“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, serving for nearly ten years with the highest level of distinction and honor,” Sherrill said.

But in comments made to the National Pan-Hellenic Councils Across New Jersey in Plainfield on Friday, ABC 7 News reported that she offered a different explanation.

“There was a test at the school that was stolen,” said Sherrill. “I did not realize it was stolen. I took the test… afterwards, I knew what the rumor mill was… I didn’t come forward with that information.”

Smith, Van Drew, and Kean want to know the circumstances surrounding Sherrill’s punishment by the U.S. Naval Academy.

“By her own admission, Representative Sherrill was punished for her role in the scandal after denying it to the New Jersey Globe back in 2018.  Given that, it is important for voters across New Jersey to know all the facts,” Smith, Van Drew, and Kean said.

The three questions the GOP House members want to know: “What did Representative Sherrill tell investigators when they questioned her? What violations did Representative Sherrill ultimately commit? What was the full extent of Representative Sherrill’s punishment?”

Her campaign has refused to authorize the release of those records.

The Democratic members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation have called for an investigation into the improper release of Sherrill’s military personnel records.