National Archives apologizes to Dem gubernatorial candidate after 'exceedingly rare' military records 'breach'

New Jersey GOP gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli says Democratic rival Mikie Sherrill ‘blames everything on Trump’

In a Fox News Digital campaign trail interview, New Jersey Republican nominee for Jack Ciattarelli takes aim at Democrats who control New Jersey’s government and claims Democratic rival Mikie Sherrill is ‘a continuation of those policies’

The National Archives apologized to Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill after the National Personnel Records Center released her military records, including sensitive information like her social security number, to "unauthorized requester" Nicholas De Gregorio.

CBS News referred to De Gregorio as an ally of Republican Garden State gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, who is currently vying against Sherrill for the governorship. 

De Gregorio told the outlet that Chris Russell, a GOP consultant in New Jersey, asked him to see what he could uncover about the Democratic lawmaker. He also indicated to the outlet that the Republican candidate's campaign did not hire or encourage him to access the materials.

REPUBLICAN AIMING TO FLIP BLUE STATE RIPS DEM RIVAL FOR BLAMING ‘EVERYTHING ON TRUMP’

Representative Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., during a news conference about a Signal messaging chat used by Trump administration officials, at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

NPRC Director Scott Levins issued the mea culpa in a letter to Sherrill, which her campaign posted online.

"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," he noted in the letter.

When responding to a Freedom of Information Act Request from De Gregorio, the NPRC "released the comprehensive official record, including personal information such as your social security number and date of birth," Levins told Sherrill, describing the "breach" as "exceedingly rare," and offering her "free credit monitoring services." 

TRUMP TOUTS REPUBLICAN GARDEN STATE GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE WHILE TRASHING DEM OPPONENT

Republican Jack Ciattarelli responds to questions during the first general election gubernatorial debate with Democratic opponent Mikie Sherrill, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Lawrenceville, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

"We will hold our staff accountable for failing to follow proper administrative procedures with regard to the release of your records. Additionally, we will review our policies and procedures to add additional controls to prevent a similar occurrence in the future and provide additional training to staff to re-enforce our commitment to safeguarding the personal information of our nation's veterans," he wrote.

Sherrill decried the release as unlawful government "weaponization."

"This is an illegal and dangerous weaponization of the federal government. That @Jack4NJ [Jack Ciattarelli] and the Trump admin are breaking the law and exposing private records for political gain is a violation of anyone who has ever served. No veteran's record is safe," she asserted in a post on X.

President Donald Trump, who is backing Ciattarelli in the gubernatorial contest, slammed Sherrill as "close to incompetent" in a Truth Social post on Thursday, misspelling her first name as "Mike."

TOP GUBERNATORIAL RACE ROCKED BY ALLEGATIONS OF LEAKS AND DIRTY TRICKS AMID IMPROPER MILITARY RECORDS RELEASE

U.S. President Donald Trump attends a press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (not pictured) at Chequers at the conclusion of a state visit on Sept. 18, 2025 in Aylesbury, England.  (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

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Ciattarelli lost the 2021 governor's race to incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murhpy.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.