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Unearthed donations come back to haunt Mikie Sherrill’s ‘defamatory’ attack on GOP rival
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FIRST ON FOX: New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mikie Sherrill took tens of thousands of dollars from companies linked to the opioid crisis as she hammers her Republican opponent over his alleged connection to that same crisis.
Sherrill spoke during a press conference on the Garden State’s opioid epidemic on Monday, where she accused Ciattarelli of «looking at ways to help people get access to the drugs that were killing them» through his ties to pharmaceutical-backed training programs.
«So you heard it, Jack made millions,» she said. «The opioid companies made billions, and thousands of New Jerseyans were dying.»
However, this attack might come back to haunt her campaign. Her congressional campaigns received three $1,000 donations from the AmerisourceBergen political action committee in 2018, 2019 and 2022, according to campaign finance records reviewed by Fox News Digital.
FINAL FACEOFF: CIATTARELLI, SHERRILL, BLAST EACH OTHER ON DEBATE STAGE
Democrat Mikie Sherrill participates in the final New Jersey gubernatorial debate with Republican Jack Ciattarelli in New Brunswick, N.J., on Oct. 8. (Heather Khalifa/AP Photo)
Her campaign also received at least $4,500 from the Teva Pharmaceuticals PAC, $1,000 from the Endo Pharmaceuticals PAC and $17,000 from Johnson & Johnson.
In total, a Fox News Digital review found at least $25,500 in donations going from companies tied to the opioid crisis to Sherrill’s campaign.
AmerisourceBergen has been accused, perhaps most notably in 2021 by Washington state’s Democratic attorney general Bob Ferguson, of profiting off billions from the opioid epidemic through the shipment of dangerous prescription painkillers with no regard for how those drugs were contributing to the deaths of citizens. AmerisourceBergen, which now goes by Cencora, and two other companies would go on to reach a settlement with Washington state for over $500 million.
In early 2022, AmerisourceBergen, whose executives were exposed for previously mocking West Virginians as «pillbillies» at the height of the opioid crisis, announced it would be agreeing to a $6.1 billion settlement that would be paid out over 18 years and would cover the «vast majority of the opioid lawsuits filed by state and local governmental entities,» according to a press release.
JACK CIATTARELLI DEMANDS MIKIE SHERRILL ‘COME CLEAN’ AS EXPLOSIVE ACCUSATIONS FLY IN NJ GOVERNOR’S RACE
Republican New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli on stage before the final debate in New Brunswick, N.J., on Oct. 8. (Heather Khalifa/AP Photo)
In late 2022, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against AmerisourceBergen, one of the country’s largest wholesale pharmaceutical distributors, alleging the company «for years flouted its legal obligations and prioritized profits over the well-being of Americans» by failing to report suspicious orders of controlled substances, like fentanyl and oxycodone, which were then sold illegally, fueling the devastating opioid epidemic.
The other three pharmaceutical companies that donated thousands of dollars to Sherrill’s campaigns through their PACs also reached massive settlements for their roles contributing to the opioid crisis, which includes over $4 billion from Teva to participating states and local governments, according to a press release from Texas AG Ken Paxton’s office.
Johnson and Johnson agreed to pay $5 billion as part of their settlement, according to their 2022 press release.
Mikie Sherrill for Governor Communications Director Sean Higgins responded to a request for comment from Fox News Digital, calling the story a «desperate attack from perennial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, who refuses to answer for his role publishing misinformation about the dangers of opioids at the height of the opioid epidemic.»
«Mikie Sherrill has shown time and again that she will take on anyone to stand up for families and fight the opioid crisis. That’s why she helped pass landmark bipartisan legislation, signed into law by President Trump, to help fund treatment, recovery, and prevention programs in New Jersey.»
The campaign did not address a question from Fox News Digital about whether the money donated from the pharmaceutical companies would be returned.
In 2017, Ciattarelli received $1,500 from Mallinckrodt LLC PAC, a company that reached a settlement for its involvement in the opioid crisis in 2022. Additionally, the New Jersey Republican received $500 from Johnson & Johnson, a company that also reached an opioid settlement, in 2016.
Ciattarelli strategist Chris Russell told Fox News Digital in a statement, «Just like Mikie Sherrill got caught red-handed, personally profiting from investments in the same NJ utility companies she blamed for electricity rate increases, it’s no surprise to learn Mikie’s hypocrisy extends to taking thousands in campaign contributions from the very pharmaceutical companies she maligned yesterday.»
«At this point, if Mikie Sherrill’s lips are moving you can just assume she’s lying,» he continued.
Sherrill first made her claims that Ciattarelli contributed to the opioid epidemic during last week’s gubernatorial debate.
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New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill, (right), and Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli (left), on the stage moments at the start of their second and final debate, on Oct. 8, 2025 in New Brunswick, N.J. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News Digital)
«With regard to everything she just said about my professional career, which provided [for] my family, it’s a lie. I’m proud of my career,» Ciattarelli responded at the debate.
It was during his 2021 campaign that Ciattarelli’s connection to opioid manufacturers first surfaced. Ciattarelli sold his company, which published content promoting the use of opioids as a low-risk treatment for chronic pain, in 2017.
And Ciattarelli’s campaign fired back the day after the debate, pledging to file a defamation lawsuit against Sherrill.
«Mikie Sherrill cracked,» Ciattarelli campaign chief strategist, Russell said at the time.
«In doing so, she claimed — twice — that Jack Ciattarelli ‘killed tens of thousands of people, including children,’ a clearly defamatory attack that shocked the moderators, press, and public alike,» Russell added. «In a time where political violence and violent rhetoric are becoming all too prevalent, Mikie Sherrill baselessly and recklessly accusing a political opponent of mass murder in a televised debate crosses the line.»
Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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Democrats are sticking to their skepticism about President Donald Trump’s performance on the economy, blasting the country’s «unaffordability» even as the reporting from January exceeded expectations on inflation and the job market.
January’s inflation report, released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed just a 2.5% increase in prices over last year — a number that inches the economy closer to the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%.
Similarly, the U.S. jobs report for last month showed that the economy added 130,000 jobs, beating out projections from forecasters like Reuters, Oxford University and Bloomberg.
Many predictions had estimated the U.S. would add just 50,000 to 75,000 in January.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: GOP TARGETS AFFORDABILITY WITH RECONCILIATION 2.0 PLAN AHEAD OF MIDTERMS
The Department of Labor shown in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)
The reports are the latest in a series of reports during the second Trump administration that have defied Democrat predictions of persistent inflation and economic downturn amid the implementation of GOP policies that Democrats oppose, such as Trump’s tariffs and a more aggressive focus on domestic production.
But to Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Development Committee, the numbers don’t make good on the promises Trump made on the campaign trail.
«Donald Trump promised to lower costs ‘on day one.’ But one year into his second term, food continues to get more expensive, utility costs are soaring, and housing prices are rising,» Warren said in a statement on the inflation report.
«Trump is making life less affordable for American families – and instead of fixing the economic pain he’s caused, he says this is the Trump economy, and he is ‘very proud’ of it,» she said.
Among the policies Democrats believe are contributing to high prices, Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., the ranking member on the House Budget Committee, singled out Trump’s position on tariffs in his own statement about the price index.
«Donald Trump promised he would end inflation on ‘day one.’ Today is Day 389, and prices are higher than ever,» Boyle said.
TRUMP HITS THE ROAD TO SELL ECONOMIC WINS, AS REPUBLICANS BRACE FOR HIGH-STAKES MIDTERM SHOWDOWN
President Donald Trump speaks during a «Make America Wealthy Again» trade announcement event in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
«Instead of keeping his promise, Trump has increased the costs Americans pay through his massive tariff taxes — the highest tariffs since the Great Depression. Ordinary Americans simply can’t afford Trump’s reckless economic policies,» he said.
The criticisms from Boyle and Warren aren’t new. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., blasted the administration on affordability even ahead of the reporting on inflation.
«Costs haven’t gone down in the United States of America. Costs have gone up under failed Republican policies. Housing costs are out of control. Grocery costs are out of control. Healthcare costs are out of control. Utility bills are out of control. And child care costs are out of control,» Jeffries said in a press conference last week.
Other Democrats believe the numbers themselves may come with an asterisk.
Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, said he thinks the job report, in particular, doesn’t signal a strong market on its own.
«Beating expectations once doesn’t absolve the pain of the meager monthly average of 15,000 jobs created last year,» Neal said in a statement about the labor report.
«The fine print of this report, which shows significant downward revisions of Trump’s first year in office, casts strong doubt that people can rely on this administration to deliver for them,» Neal said, referring to other disappointing jobs reports from 2025.
‘PRICES ARE COMING DOWN’: TRUMP HAILS HIS ECONOMY, BLAMES BIDEN AS VOTERS SAY COSTS STILL STING
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., walks towards the House chamber on Capitol Hill on Dec. 18, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, believes Republicans are showing signs of nervousness about the economy.
She believes that Trump has already tacitly admitted that affordability remains an issue for Americans.
«Trump called this affordability crisis a ‘hoax,’ but he knows it’s real and now wants to cap credit card interest rates at 10%,» Waters said, referring to an idea floated by Trump earlier this year to limit the amount banks can charge borrowers.
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«Well, President Trump, I’m pleased to know if you’re listening, we don’t agree on much of anything, but we do on this,» Waters said.
Democrats contacted by Fox News Digital did not address whether the numbers from the January reporting indicated the country was on the right track, despite their other outstanding concerns.
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French police raided the headquarters of the Arab World Institute (AWI) on Monday as part of its investigation into a former government official’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
Authorities searched the Paris headquarters along with several other locations, according to the national financial prosecutor. The investigators were searching for documents relating to ex-culture minister Jack Lang, who served as the AWI’s head until his resignation last month. AWI is a part of France’s foreign ministry.
Both Jack and Caroline Lang have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or receiving financial benefits from Epstein. Their lawyer, Laurent Merlet, told French broadcaster BFMTV this month that «there was no movement of funds.»
Fallout from the release of millions of new documents related to Epstein has rippled through Europe. On Saturday, Paris prosecutors set up a dedicated team to review the files, coordinating with the financial prosecutor and national police.
PRINCE WILLIAM, PRINCESS CATHERINE ‘DEEPLY CONCERNED’ BY EPSTEIN FILES REVELATIONS, PALACE SAYS
French police officers patrol in front of the Arab World Institute in Paris on Feb. 16, 2026. (Charlotte Siemon/AFP via Getty Images)
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in a letter on Saturday that «all» Epstein files have now been released, consistent with Section 3 of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
«In accordance with the requirements of the Act, and as described in various Department submissions to the courts of the Southern District of New York assigned to the Epstein and Maxwell prosecutions and related orders, the Department released all ‘records, documents, communications and investigative materials in the possession of the Department’ that ‘relate to’ any of nine different categories,» the letter read.
The letter includes a list of more than 300 high-profile names, including President Donald Trump, Barack and Michelle Obama, Prince Harry, Bill Gates, Woody Allen, Kurt Cobain, Mark Zuckerberg and Bruce Springsteen.
Attorney General Pam Bondi arrives at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill and takes questions from Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram ahead of a House hearing. (Tom Williams)
CBS NEWS SCRAMBLES AS NEW CONTRIBUTOR’S EPSTEIN EMAIL CONNECTIONS SURFACE IN LATEST DOJ FILES
In accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the list of names includes «all persons where (1) they are or were a government official or politically exposed person and (2) their name appears in the files released under the Act at least once,» the letter said, adding that the names appear in a «wide variety of contexts.»
Some of the names mentioned had «extensive direct email contact with Epstein or Maxwell» while others were mentioned «in a portion of a document (including press reporting) that on its face is unrelated to the Epstein and Maxwell matters,» the letter said.
The Department of Justice released a trove of Epstein documents on Dec. 19 following President Trump’s signature on the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
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The document outlines the broad range of Epstein-related materials, including records concerning Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell; references to individuals—up to and including government officials—connected to Epstein’s activities; and documents tied to civil settlements and legal resolutions such as immunity deals, plea agreements, non-prosecution agreements and sealed arrangements.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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