New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill faces accusations of nepotism following the acceptance of her children into the U.S. Naval Academy amid ongoing controversies surrounding her military past.
New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill is under scrutiny for alleged nepotism after two of her children were nominated and subsequently accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy. This controversy emerges as Sherrill is also dealing with a separate issue related to a cheating scandal during her own time at the academy.
In a June press release, Sherrill expressed pride in the 24 students from her district who were appointed to various military academies, including her children, Lincoln and Margaret Hedberg. However, the press release did not explicitly identify the two students with her husband’s last name as her children, and a photo accompanying the release did not feature them.
“From my time at the Naval Academy, I remember how challenging the academy’s programs are—both academically and physically,” Sherrill stated in the release. She emphasized the importance of teamwork and overcoming challenges, which she believes prepared her for leadership roles as a military officer. Sherrill wished the best for the young men and women starting their careers as future military leaders.
Members of Congress are responsible for nominating students to service academies, while the academies make the final appointments based on qualifications. Social media users have raised concerns about the fairness of Sherrill’s children’s admissions, particularly since only 22 students from her district were accepted into military academies, with just nine gaining entry to the Naval Academy. The academy is known for its highly competitive admissions process, boasting a mere 9% acceptance rate.
Rasmussen pollster Mark Mitchell took to social media to voice his concerns, stating, “Mikie Sherrill’s two kids are at the Naval Academy, one of the hardest schools to get into, because of her nepotism. Meanwhile, some hardworking, impoverished, and unconnected teenagers lose out on a life dream they earned.”
Journalist Jennifer Jean Miller echoed these sentiments, questioning how Sherrill’s children gained admission while potentially deserving candidates were overlooked. “Far left politicians like Mikie Sherrill like to virtue signal about privilege…yet have no problem exerting their own privilege,” she remarked.
While some have claimed that Sherrill nominated her children, an aide for Democratic Senator Cory Booker confirmed to Fox News Digital that Booker nominated one of Sherrill’s children for the current freshman class. “Each year, Senator Booker, as a member of Congress, has the honor of nominating qualified young people to serve in the United States military service academies,” Booker’s office stated. They emphasized that prospective candidates undergo a rigorous application and screening process to ensure that only the best candidates are recommended based on merit.
Sherrill’s other child received a nomination from now-former Democratic Senator George Helmy, as confirmed by a Helmy spokesperson. In response to the nepotism allegations, Sherrill clarified that her children did not participate in her office’s nomination process to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest. “Instead, they applied to the offices of the U.S. Senators from New Jersey, who also run academy nomination processes each year, and I am proud that they each earned nominations on their own,” she stated.
Sherrill’s office explained that the press release did not include her children because it listed all students from NJ-11 who were appointed to academies, not just those she nominated, which is considered routine for her office.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Sherrill’s campaign described the nepotism accusations as a “depraved attack.” They alleged that the Trump administration, in collaboration with the Ciattarelli campaign, released Sherrill’s unredacted service records, including sensitive personal information, and are now resorting to attacks on her family.
Federal law allows members of Congress to nominate up to 15 candidates for each available vacancy at the U.S. Naval Academy, with each member permitted to have five constituents attending the academy at any given time.
The political landscape in New Jersey has been tense, particularly as the state prepares for its gubernatorial election, one of only two nationwide this year. The race intensified last week when reports surfaced that the Naval Academy had barred Sherrill from participating in her 1994 graduation due to a cheating scandal.
Sherrill’s opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, has called for her to release her military records to clarify the circumstances surrounding her graduation. “What we learned today is that she was part of it in some way, shape or form. Come clean, release the records. Tell us what’s in your disciplinary records. I think the people of New Jersey deserve that,” Ciattarelli stated during an interview.
Adding to the controversy, a report revealed that the National Personnel Records Center mistakenly released Sherrill’s improperly redacted military personnel files, which contained private information, to an ally of Ciattarelli. This incident has prompted calls from prominent Democrats for an investigation into the matter.
Sherrill expressed her outrage, stating, “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.”
The two candidates are set to face off in their second and final debate next week as they vie for the position of governor, succeeding term-limited Democratic Governor Phil Murphy.
Source: Original article