TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Republican Party is calling on Rep. Mikie Sherrill to release her full academic and disciplinary records from the U.S. Naval Academy, citing her admission that she was barred from participating in her class’s graduation due to involvement in a cheating scandal.
Sherrill was disciplined by the academy in one of the nation’s biggest cheating scandals, but says it was only because she didn’t narc on her shipmates.
Now, the NJGOP and Jack Ciattarelli are asking the Democrat candidate for governor to prove that she didn’t cheat.
So far, she’s not willing to do it.
This comes after a report by the New Jersey Globe that showed Sherrill was involved in one of the biggest cheating scandals in U.S. Naval Academy history.
Sherrill, the Democratic nominee for governor of New Jersey, acknowledged that she was barred from participating in her 1994 graduation ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy as punishment tied to a massive cheating scandal that swept through her class.
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A commencement program from May 25, 1994, obtained by the New Jersey Globe, does not list Sherrill’s name among graduates. More than 130 midshipmen were implicated in what remains one of the largest cheating and honor code scandals in the Academy’s history.
In a statement, Sherrill said her punishment stemmed not from direct involvement in the cheating but from failing to report classmates
She refuses to provide proof to back up her story that she was only looking out for her cheating classmates.
“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,” she said.
Things aren’t so cut and dry for Sherrill, whose past is just as mysterious as her father’s.
Sherrill reportedly lied about being involved in the scandal eight years ago when pressed. Her father, David, worked for the Central Intelligence Agency, leaving many to speculate that strings were pulled for his daughter at the time of the scandal to avoid punishment.
Additionally, Sherrill’s two daughters also attend the U.S. Naval Academy. Even that was marred by controversy. Earlier this year, Sherrill’s office issued a press release congratulating the three Montclair students for their acceptance.
“I am so proud of all the young men and women from NJ-11 who are reporting to the military academies or academy preparatory programs this summer. From my time at the Naval Academy, I remember how challenging the academy’s programs are — both academically and physically. Learning to work as a team and overcoming those challenges prepared me to lead service members as a military officer. I am grateful for these young men and women who are willing to serve our nation in uniform and I wish them the best of luck as they start their careers as future military leaders,” said Congresswoman Sherrill.
What she did not disclose in that release was that her two daughters, Lincoln and Margaret Hedberg (Sherrill’s husband’s last name), were among the only 22 New Jersey students accepted into the U.S. service academies in 2025, leaving many wondering if nepotism played a part.
Sherrill did graduate and went on to serve nearly a decade in the Navy. However, her campaign has rejected requests to allow public inspection of her sealed disciplinary records from the Academy. Only she can authorize their release.
In a statement Thursday, the NJGOP said Sherrill “was implicated and punished for involvement in the largest cheating and honor code scandal in the Academy’s storied history.”
Party officials argued that her bid for governor requires full transparency about the episode.
“Rep. Sherrill is now running for governor and owes the people of our state full transparency,” the NJGOP said. “She is not entitled to the benefit of the doubt.”
The demand comes amid reminders of another controversy in Sherrill’s political career: in 2021, she paid a fine for violating the federal STOCK Act after failing to properly disclose her husband’s stock trades. The law was designed to prevent insider trading among members of Congress.
Her husband, Jason Hedberg, is a stock trader at UBS Securities. Some of the trades that drew scrutiny involved UBS stock that Hedberg received as part of his compensation. At the time, Sherrill initially held individual stocks after entering Congress, later shifting to broader investment funds.
Her opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, also accused Sherrill and her husband of trading stocks tied to her tenure in congressional committees, where she earned $7 million on those transactions.
With Sherrill now a declared candidate for governor, Republicans are questioning whether the combination of the Naval Academy scandal and her past STOCK Act violation raises larger concerns about integrity.
Key Points
- NJ GOP is demanding Rep. Mikie Sherrill release full Naval Academy records tied to a cheating scandal.
- Sherrill previously paid a fine in 2021 for violating the STOCK Act over late disclosure of her husband’s stock trades.
- Her husband, Jason Hedberg, is a trader at UBS Securities, and some transactions involved UBS stock.