Kean, Smith, Van Drew Get Involved in Governor's Race for Ciattarelli
Republican Congressmen Chris Smith, Jeff Van Drew and Tom Kean this morning released a joint statement demanding that U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill do a full-on data dump.
"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," said the Republican representatives in a statement. "We call on her to do so immediately and without qualification.
"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."
That's not the way everyone sees the matter, of course.
Top Democrats in Washington are calling for investigations after a branch of the National Archives released New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherill’s unredacted military record, including her Social Security number, to an individual who filed a Freedom of Information Act request.
Scott Levins, the director of the National Personnel Records Center, this week acknowledged the disclosure, which occurred in June, in a letter sent to Sherrill, who is the Democratic nominee for governor in New Jersey.
“I am writing to notify you that the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) released in error your Official Military Personnel Folder to an unauthorized requester,” Levins wrote in a letter dated September 22 and released by Sherrill’s campaign. “On behalf of the National Archives, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and aggravation this situation may cause you and for our failure to safeguard your military record from unauthorized release.”
Over the weekend, state Senator Raj Mukherji, a retired Marine Corps sergeant, dismissed calls for Sherrill to comply with Republican cries for her to release her records.
"Why should she release her confidential records?" said the senator. "They're nonpublic. It's her right to speak about it. But laws were broken [in the release of unredacted information]. It was illegal what transpired here."
Added Hamilton Mayor Jeff Martin, an Air Force veteran: "The persistent pattern of weaponization by a bureau of the U.S. government - [Jimmy] Kimmel, Comey - this is one more instance, and Jack Ciattarelli chose as Donald Trump's lapdog to be quiet."
