New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is demanding the resignation of the lieutenant governor she chose to serve beside her after an independent investigation substantiated sexual harassment and two ethics violations.
Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell has until Friday to step down voluntarily.
The scandal is not built on a vague allegation or an anonymous social-media post. Sherrill’s own administration released the investigative findings and said Caldwell’s conduct formed a pattern that continued despite repeated warnings and ethics training.
The New Jersey Governor’s Office says the independent investigation concluded that Caldwell repeatedly violated state policy and failed to meet the responsibilities of his office. Sherrill called the substantiated sexual-harassment finding especially troubling and said resignation was necessary for the public interest.
The state’s chief ethics officer initiated the inquiry after receiving an anonymous complaint in May. A former New Jersey attorney general conducted the investigation, which the governor described as thorough and impartial, and Caldwell was given an opportunity to respond to the allegations.
The resulting report runs 61 pages and separates the harassment allegation from the two ethics violations.
The report landed Thursday night, and local coverage quickly spelled out the gravity of the findings:
Investigators found that Caldwell made a sexually charged remark to a female staffer after she told him that a younger friend had rejected his romantic interest.
Caldwell denied making the remark. The investigators found his denial not credible and determined that the conduct violated New Jersey’s anti-harassment policy.
The ethics findings were separate and just as revealing.
Fox News reports that Caldwell brought personal guests to ticketed events without getting advance ethics approval or paying for them. Investigators also found that he repeatedly pushed for a state employee with whom he had a romantic relationship to receive a promotion.
The timeline makes the conduct harder to dismiss as an innocent misunderstanding. Caldwell was formally notified of the investigation on May 22, yet investigators found that he brought another unpaid guest to an event the following day.
Four days after receiving notice, Caldwell used his state email to recommend his romantic partner for a leadership job in another executive department. He referred to her as “my friend” while forwarding her résumé and letter of interest, without disclosing the relationship.
NBC New York summarized the governor’s demand after the report became public:
Caldwell has denied wrongdoing and previously called the accusations false and misleading. He said he believed the facts would clear him and denied pursuing women while conducting official business.
But the investigation did not clear him. It substantiated the harassment finding and both ethics allegations.
That leaves Sherrill in an awkward position. The governor can call for Caldwell’s resignation, but because he is an independently elected constitutional officer, she cannot simply fire him like an appointed aide.
The practical limit on her authority became a major part of Friday morning’s coverage:
Sherrill also tried to use the announcement to attack President Trump, accusing him of undermining confidence in public service while promising not to tolerate a culture that conceals misconduct in New Jersey.
That partisan detour cannot erase the basic fact that this scandal erupted inside her own administration and involves the running mate she personally selected.
Calling for accountability is appropriate. Voters will now watch whether Caldwell resigns, whether state lawmakers demand additional action, and whether Sherrill applies the same standard when doing so carries a political cost.
Public trust is not protected by slogans about ethics. It is protected when powerful officials face consequences after the evidence is established.
The post Dem New Jersey Governor Demands Handpicked No. 2 Resign After Sexual Harassment Finding appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.
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