Republicans tighten screws on Sherrill as noncitizen voter probe enters new phase

A coalition of House Republicans is escalating its push for answers after lawmakers said New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill failed to address most of their questions about the state's noncitizen voter-registration scandal and instead directed criticism at President Donald Trump.

Republican Study Committee member Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., told Fox News Digital there will be consequences after Sherrill sent a response that he characterized as "snarky" and politicized and said largely sidestepped the lawmakers' questions.

"The response that we got from the governor was almost like she took a political mailer and embossed it upon her official letterhead," Van Drew said. "As governor of the state of New Jersey, it was beneath her, it was beneath me, and it was unfortunate."

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"I state the obvious," Van Drew said. "If you are an American, you should be voting in an American election. If you're not an American, you shouldn't be voting in an American election."

Lawmakers focused their original inquiry on how the registration failure occurred, its potential consequences and how New Jersey would prevent another breakdown.

The July 24 letter from dozens of RSC members, led by Van Drew and Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, posed 12 specific questions about the registration failure and its potential impact.

Sherrill replied that affected residents have been mailed notifications, but Van Drew said the overall response failed to address Congress’ concerns.

"We're not done with this," Van Drew pledged.

Van Drew said he is planning a hearing as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee, with expert witnesses expected to testify.

Van Drew said he is working with the full committee under Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to get the requested information from Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell, the state's elections chief.

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"If there's a complete lack of cooperation after we build up a case, there is a possibility, it's not definite," Van Drew said. "But if they're not, we do, in my opinion, have to look at subpoenas as well."

Sherrill defended her administration while criticizing Congress, Trump and the Republican-backed SAVE America Act.

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"Washington Republicans … seem much more concerned with using the issue for political gain than they are with protecting our elections," Sherrill wrote, accusing several signatories of supporting Trump’s efforts to "undermine our election system" and noting that seven had challenged electoral votes after the 2020 election.

Sherrill also disputed Republicans’ contention that the SAVE America Act would have prevented the error, writing, "I encourage you to become more familiar with the legislation you have cosponsored." She also raised privacy and abuse-of-power concerns about proposals to expand the federal government’s role in voter registration, including through a centralized voter registry.

Van Drew told Fox that "when you have a motor-voter law, [via which] people basically are automatically registered to vote – First of all, New Jersey is a sanctuary state… Illegal criminals shouldn't be even in the state. But now we find out that illegals were also obviously having the ability to register to vote and were being registered and some of them actually were voting."

The White House also rebuked Sherrill’s response, calling it "laughable" that she would criticize the Trump administration on election integrity.

"[This] after she and her fellow Democrats have denied for years that non-citizens are registering and voting in our elections," said White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis.

Sherrill spokesperson Sean Higgins hit back at the criticisms, telling Fox News Digital the governor's reply detailed how Trenton "moved with transparency and accountability to remediate this error from 2023."

"But Republicans are more interested in playing political games. Considering that Jeff Van Drew's campaign employed an operative convicted of voter fraud, bribery and blackmail, he might not be the best voice on what is too ‘political’ on this topic," Higgins said, pointing to a 2020 Politico report about ex-Atlantic City council president Craig Callaway.

Pfluger told Fox News Digital that Sherrill spent "three pages on political theater and barely a sentence answering our questions," adding that she "dodged" whether any elections were decided by fewer votes than the number of illegal ballots cast.

"We are not letting this story get buried. It is high time we pass the SAVE America Act to make sure our elections are secure, transparent, and worthy of the public's trust," he said.

Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., the state delegation's most senior member and an RSC colleague, said Trenton must give Congress "complete transparency" and a corrective path forward.

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"Secure elections are the bedrock of democracy; we must take all steps necessary to ensure that votes are cast only by those who have a right to vote," Smith said.

The inquiry will continue on several tracks. Van Drew's subcommittee is preparing a hearing, the Judiciary Committee is seeking additional state records and lawmakers are weighing further compulsory action as separate executive branch scrutiny continues.