Republican New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli accused his opponent, Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill, of running a campaign built on "lies" following Wednesday’s heated final debate.
Ciattarelli argued Sherrill misled voters about her involvement in a cheating scandal at the U.S. Naval Academy and spread false claims about his involvement in the opioid crisis.
"She needs to come clean with the state of New Jersey as to why she was severely punished at the Naval Academy," Ciattarelli said Thursday on Fox News Radio’s "Brian Kilmeade Show."
Ciattarelli has repeatedly called on Sherrill to explain her role in a widespread cheating scandal at the U.S. Naval Academy. Earlier this year, the National Archives and Records Administration unsealed records that show Sherrill was barred from walking with her graduating class and omitted from the Naval Academy’s commencement program.
Republican New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli on stage before the final debate in New Brunswick, N.J., on October 8. (Heather Khalifa/AP Photo)
Sherrill has not been accused of cheating herself but has admitted she was disciplined for not reporting others who were involved. She denied any wrongdoing and said the leak is being investigated.
"What really demands an answer is why my opponent still won’t take accountability for the release of those records. It's under federal investigation that a member of his team... actually got access to those records," Sherrill said during Wednesday’s debate.
"When he was asked about it, he acted like he had no idea what his campaign was doing. So either he’s really incompetent, or he’s lying."
Despite Sherrill's explanations about the records, Ciattarelli said he believes that's not the whole story.
"We believe she either cheated herself or she lied to the investigators," he told host Brian Kilmeade.
According to records obtained by the New Jersey Globe, Mikie Sherrill’s name was not included on the commencement program during the May 25, 1994, ceremony. (Mikie Sherrill)
"All she has to do is approve the release of her disciplinary records to come clean and be transparent with the people of New Jersey as to why she was punished at the Naval Academy."
During Wednesday’s debate, Sherrill accused Ciattarelli of misleading voters and contributing to the opioid epidemic through ties to pharmaceutical-backed training programs. She alleged his actions cost thousands of lives in New Jersey.
NEW JERSEY GOP LAWMAKERS DEMAND SHERRILL RELEASE NAVAL ACADEMY RECORDS AS QUESTIONS SWIRL
"He made his millions by working with some of the worst offenders and saying that opioids were safe, putting out propaganda, publishing their propaganda, while tens of thousands of New Jerseyans died," she said Wednesday.
Democrat Mikie Sherrill participates in the final New Jersey gubernatorial debate with Republican Jack Ciattarelli in New Brunswick, N.J., on October 8. (Heather Khalifa/AP Photo)
Ciattarelli dismissed her claims as "desperate" and denied any connection to the state’s opioid problem.
With Election Day less than a month away, the contests in New Jersey and Virginia are being closely watched as early indicators of how voters are responding to the Trump administration's agenda.