Archives IG says human error to blame for release of Sherrill's military records
The inspector general for the National Archives concluded human error, not political motivations, was to blame for the release of New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill's military records last year.
Updated on: March 31, 2026 / 5:09 PM EDT / CBS News
While the disclosure of Sherrill's personal information raised concerns because of the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Freedom of Information Act, investigators for the Archives' watchdog found that the request submitted to the National Archives had been properly filed. The failure, they concluded, occurred later: an Archives technician released the records in error and did not adhere to established protocol.
Sherrill and other senior Democrats suggested the episode bore the hallmarks of coordination between her Republican opponent and Trump administration allies — a suspicion that lingered during the campaign for New Jersey governor. Sherill ultimately prevailed over Jack Ciattarelli , her GOP opponent.
But the inquiry found there were no political motivations for releasing the records. What emerged instead was a bureaucratic misstep.
"As we said all along, the Ciattarelli campaign did nothing wrong. Now that the phony 'Trump did it' smokescreen — which most of the NJ press corps fell for — has been proven false, Governor Sherrill should come clean and release the records about her involvement in the Naval Academy cheating scandal," said Mark Sheridan of the law firm Squire Patton Boggs, who represents Ciattarelli's campaign.