TRENTON, N.J. — Governor Mikie Sherrill called on Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell to resign Thursday evening after an outside investigation found what she described as “serious, repeated violations of state policy,” including a substantiated finding of sexual harassment.
Sherrill gave Caldwell until Friday to step down.
“The investigation found that the Lieutenant Governor engaged in serious, repeated violations of state policy and failed to uphold the responsibilities of his office,” Sherrill announced. “The ethical lapses persisted despite multiple warnings and trainings.”
“The substantiated finding of sexual harassment is extremely troubling,” she added.
The dramatic announcement comes three weeks after the New Jersey Globe first broke the news that Caldwell was under investigation for alleged inappropriate behavior toward women and possible ethics violations. Caldwell had denied wrongdoing.
But the investigation itself wasn’t new when the public learned about it.
Records obtained by the Globe revealed this week that the Sherrill administration retained former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino and Lowenstein Sandler on May 21 — more than three months before the existence of the investigation became public.
During that period, Caldwell remained New Jersey’s lieutenant governor and secretary of state. Sherrill also continued traveling outside New Jersey, allowing Caldwell to exercise the powers of acting governor on multiple occasions while the investigation was underway. The controversy over those trips intensified after the probe became public and Sherrill subsequently curtailed her out-of-state travel.
Sherrill defended the process Thursday, calling the investigation “thorough and impartial” and saying it “fully examined the evidence, followed the facts, and protected everyone’s privacy.”
“The Lieutenant Governor’s resignation is necessary and in the best interest of New Jersey residents,” she said.
The governor also used the announcement to take a shot at President Donald Trump, declaring that the president “continues to undermine confidence in public service at the federal level” and contrasting that with her administration’s handling of Caldwell.
“In New Jersey, I will not accept a culture that sweeps misconduct under the rug,” Sherrill said.
That assertion is likely to face scrutiny given how long the Caldwell investigation remained outside public view. Sherrill’s administration knew enough by May to hire a former attorney general to investigate its second-highest-ranking official, yet New Jerseyans did not learn of the probe until September — and Caldwell continued exercising the powers of governor during Sherrill’s absences.
Now Sherrill says the investigation – a botched cover up by all accounts – has substantiated misconduct serious enough that Caldwell must leave office within a matter of hours.
The next question is whether Caldwell will comply — and exactly what the full investigative report says.
