Governor demands lieutenant governor resign

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill gave Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell until Friday to resign after an independent investigation found he violated state ethics and harassment policies.

“I'm calling for his resignation and giving him until tomorrow to do so.”

Investigation found sexual harassment

The 61-page report substantiated that Caldwell sexually harassed a young female staffer and her friend, which Sherrill called extremely troubling and damaging to organizational trust.

“The substantiated finding of sexual harassment is extremely troubling.”

Ethics violations included favoritism

Caldwell used his office to promote a state employee he had a romantic relationship with without disclosing the relationship, violating state ethics rules on multiple occasions.

Caldwell also took free event tickets

The investigation found Caldwell made a practice of taking personal guests to ticketed events without paying or reimbursing for the tickets, another ethics violation.

Caldwell denies findings, disputes process

Caldwell's lawyers say the investigation was one-sided and lacked due process, arguing he wasn't given meaningful opportunity to address anonymous allegations or present witnesses.

“This unnecessarily protracted and one-sided process lacked the requisite due process.”

Caldwell holds critical state roles

As New Jersey's secretary of state overseeing elections, Caldwell has also served as acting governor multiple times since the investigation began, making his status significant ahead of November midterms.