An independent investigation found that Caldwell sexually harassed a woman and violated state ethics rules.
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New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) has called on her lieutenant governor, Dale Caldwell (D), to resign after an independent investigation found that Caldwell sexually harassed a woman and violated state ethics rules.
In a statement, Sherrill said Caldwell had until Friday to step down.
“I hold everyone in my Administration to the highest ethical standard,” Sherrill said. “We all have a duty to follow our state ethics and harassment policy and our Code of Conduct. Anyone who violates these will be held accountable.”
Caldwell, 66, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. He has previously denied allegations of misconduct and suggested that he was being targeted because he was “the first single Black man to serve at this level in government.”
A report accompanying the governor’s statement said Caldwell had made a romantic advance toward a female staffer’s friend and, when rebuffed, told the staffer, “You young women are looking for young sperm.” Caldwell’s comment caused the staffer to try to distance herself from him at work and “constituted sexual harassment,” the report said. Caldwell told investigators he did not make the remark, according to the report.
The report also said there was “credible evidence” that Caldwell violated state ethics rules by bringing personal guests to ticketed events without advance clearance and by trying, on multiple occasions, to secure a promotion for a state employee with whom he had a romantic relationship. Caldwell told investigators that he never asked anyone on a date, “hit on,” or romantically pursued anyone while conducting official business and argued he did not violate ethics rules when advocating for his girlfriend, according to the report.
In her statement Thursday, Sherrill said Caldwell’s ethical lapses persisted despite multiple warnings and trainings.
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“The substantiated finding of sexual harassment is extremely troubling,” she said. “I’ve seen firsthand how a hostile culture can undermine everyone’s ability to succeed. It’s insidious and ruptures the trust within an organization.”
Though the investigation of Caldwell became public earlier this month, it began in May after New Jersey’s chief ethics officer received an anonymous letter outlining allegations against the lieutenant governor. Caldwell was formally notified of the investigation on May 22, according to the report.
The New Jersey governor has considerable power, including the ability to appoint most positions in state government. Sherrill appointed a former state attorney general, Christopher Porrino, to run the investigation into Caldwell. Like two former New Jersey lieutenant governors did in the past, Caldwell also serves as New Jersey’s secretary of state.
If Caldwell does not resign, he would need to be impeached by a majority of the state’s General Assembly and a two-thirds majority vote by the state Senate to be removed from office.
Under New Jersey law, the lieutenant governor serves as acting governor when the governor is out of state. Sherrill has in recent days canceled what was expected to be a busy political travel schedule, including an appearance Thursday at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin and an event in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday with Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) and Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan).
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