New Jersey governor gives lieutenant governor until Friday to resign after ethics report

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has called on Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell to resign by Friday after an independent investigation found he “engaged in serious, repeated violations of state policy and failed to uphold the responsibilities of his office,” the New Jersey Globe reported.

The 61-page report, prepared by former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino and Lowenstein Sandler, substantiated allegations of sexual harassment alongside two state ethics violations. Investigators found credible evidence that Caldwell made a romantic advance toward a female staffer’s friend at an official event and later made a degrading sexual remark during a car ride; his denials were judged not credible, the Globe reported.

The report also found that Caldwell brought personal guests to ticketed events without paying or obtaining ethics clearance, and twice tried to secure a promotion for a state employee with whom he had a romantic relationship, without disclosing it.

Caldwell, 66 — New Jersey’s fourth modern lieutenant governor and the first man in the job, who also serves as secretary of state — took office in January after running on Sherrill’s ticket. A lawyer for Caldwell, Thomas Calcagni, said “a fair review of the complete record will show that the conclusions reached in the report go far beyond what the evidence establishes,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

The investigation, prompted by an anonymous letter sent in May, was the first Sherrill has commented on directly. She called the substantiated finding of sexual harassment “extremely troubling” and said the ethical lapses persisted despite multiple warnings and trainings.