WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) says Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s response to a congressional inquiry into New Jersey’s noncitizen voter-registration debacle produced plenty of politics — but few answers.
“We wrote the Governor to ask a simple question: how were thousands of noncitizens able to register to vote in New Jersey?” Van Drew posted on X Friday. “She answered with 3 pages of political talking points and personal smears — and no answers.”
“It was beneath her office,” he added. “We will not stop pursuing the facts.”
Van Drew, who chairs the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, previously joined other House Republicans in demanding answers after the Sherrill Administration disclosed that approximately 6,600 people who had identified themselves as noncitizens at the Motor Vehicle Commission were nevertheless registered to vote.
The controversy expanded earlier this month when Republican-led House committees requested records concerning the state’s voter-registration safeguards, its handling of the MVC failure, communications with contractor IDEMIA, and compliance with federal election laws.
Sherrill responded Friday with a three-page letter defending her administration’s handling of the scandal and accusing Republicans of seeking “political gain.” She argued that her administration disclosed the problem, began removing affected registrations and ordered an outside investigation.
But the governor’s response also appeared to leave unresolved a central question: whether New Jersey intends to fully cooperate with the broader federal inquiry and associated requests for information.
That question is particularly significant because Sherrill has previously objected to providing personally identifying voter information to the Trump Administration, while congressional investigators possess tools — including hearings and subpoenas — to pursue documents and testimony if voluntary cooperation breaks down.
For Van Drew, Sherrill’s latest letter apparently didn’t settle the matter.
His message Friday was unmistakable: Congress isn’t moving on.
