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A massive cheating scandal that rocked the U.S. Naval Academy in 1994 and involved New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill also involved her husband, Jason Hedberg, according to reporting by the New York Post.
This follows the improper release of bombshell private military records by the National Archives and Records Administration, which revealed that Sherrill was not allowed to walk with her graduating class at the Naval Academy and that her name was not included in the commencement program due to her involvement in the scandal.
Sherrill, a congresswoman representing New Jersey, has not been accused of cheating at the Naval Academy but rather of failing to report those who had cheated on an exam.
The Post reported that Hedberg was also caught up in the scandal. The outlet said Hedberg was one of nearly 50 midshipmen who sued the Naval Academy, the Navy and the Pentagon to block an honor board at the school from deciding whether they should be dismissed.
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The suit alleged that each named plaintiff was denied due process by the academy and ordered by their superiors to make incriminating statements, according to the outlet.
The complaint stated that “in compliance with the orders of their superior military officers, each named plaintiff was compelled to make inculpatory statements to Navy Inspector General investigators.”
While Sherrill did not walk in her commencement ceremony, Hedberg’s name is included in the 1994 commencement program, indicating he was cleared to take part in the ceremony, which took place three months after the suit was filed.
Sherrill is locked in a tight race against Republican Jack Ciattarelli to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.
Sean Higgins, a spokesperson for Sherrill’s campaign, responded to the development by telling Fox News Digital that “the fact Jack Ciattarelli and MAGA Republicans are going after Mikie’s family is sick and desperate.
“Jason graduated, served honorably as a Naval Officer and the illegal disclosure of Mikie’s unredacted personal military records, including her Social Security number and the unlawful dissemination of those records by the Ciattarelli campaign is a disgrace and must be investigated.”
While investigating Sherrill’s suspected involvement in the 1994 cheating scandal, Ciattarelli’s campaign also submitted its own FOIA request, which confirmed her name was not on the U.S. Naval Academy graduation program that year.
The revelations have rocked the already tight race in blue-leaning New Jersey.
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The Ciattarelli campaign said Nicholas De Gregorio, a friend who is not directly involved in the campaign, “submitted a lawful FOIA request” about Sherrill’s military background of his own accord.
A spokesperson for the National Archives and Records Administration stated that the technician who responded to De Gregorio’s request about Sherrill’s military record “should NOT have released the entire record,” which included private information such as her Social Security number.
The National Archives apologized for the breach of privacy and has committed to holding its staff accountable for the blunder.
In response, Sherrill has accused Ciattarelli of illegally obtaining the records.
“To have a guy I’m running against, it will stop at nothing, it will stop at nothing, who will illegally obtain records. It’s just beyond the pale,” Sherrill charged Thursday night on the campaign trail in Plainfield, New Jersey.
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“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 told the Globe when confronted with the commencement program. She defended not releasing any disciplinary records from her time at the academy.
Sherrill has also accused the Trump administration of colluding with Ciattarelli’s campaign.
“This is an illegal and dangerous weaponization of the federal government,” Sherrill said in a statement Thursday as she criticized Ciattarelli and the Trump administration for “breaking the law and exposing private records for political gain.”
On Thursday, Higgins accused the Trump administration of “targeting political opponents with an absolute disregard for the law, this time in concert with the Ciattarelli campaign.”
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For his part, Ciattarelli is calling on Sherrill to release her records to prove why she was blocked from attending her graduation ceremony.
In a letter sent to Sherrill’s lawyers, a lawyer representing the Ciattarelli campaign said that any claim that Ciattarelli for Governor (CFG) was “part of a conspiracy to smear [Sherrill] with ill-gotten documents is completely false. In fact, it is defamatory and if [Sherrill] and her campaign continue to push this false narrative and allege that CFG and/or [campaign strategist Chris] Russell acted illegally, we will pursue defamation claims.”
Sherrill’s campaign did not immediately provide a response to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on her husband’s involvement in the scandal.
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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