FOIA Advisor

FOIA News: NARA fumbles congresswoman's military file

FOIA News (2025)Allan BlutsteinComment

Archives released too much of Mikie Sherrill's military record to her opponent in governor's race

By James LaPorta, CBS News, Sept. 25, 2025

A branch of the National Archives released a mostly unredacted version of Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill's military records to Nicholas De Gregorio, an ally of Jack Ciattarelli, her GOP opponent in the New Jersey governor's race. The disclosure potentially violates the Privacy Act of 1974 and exemptions established under the Freedom of Information Act. 

The documents, which were also obtained by CBS News, appear to show that the National Personnel Records Center, a wing of the National Archives and Records Administration charged with maintaining personnel records for service members and civil servants of the U.S. government, released Sherrill's full military file — almost completely unredacted. CBS News discovered the egregious blunder while investigating whether Sherrill was involved in the 1994 Naval Academy scandal, in which more than 100 midshipmen were implicated in cheating on an exam. Sherrill was not accused of cheating and said her only involvement was not informing on her fellow classmates. 

The documents included Sherrill's Social Security number, which appears on almost every page, home addresses for her and her parents, life insurance information, Sherrill's performance evaluations and the nondisclosure agreement between her and the U.S. government to safeguard classified information. 

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