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    "original_url": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/24\/nyregion\/dale-caldwell-ethics-report-new-jersey-mikie-sherrill.html?emc=edit_na_20260925&nl=breaking-news&segment_id=227039",
    "parsed_content": "AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTGov. Mikie Sherrill Calls for the Resignation of Her Lt. GovernorInvestigators found that New Jersey\u2019s lieutenant governor, Dale Caldwell, sought a promotion for his girlfriend and made a sexually charged comment to a staff member.Listen \u00b7 8:46 min Share full articleLt. Governor Dale Caldwell was found to have violated state workplace and ethics policies in a report released Thursday.Credit...Kriston Jae Bethel for The New York TimesBy Tracey TullySept. 24, 2026Updated 10:39 p.m. ETSee more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra m\u00e1s de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de b\u00fasqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google New Jersey\u2019s lieutenant governor, Dale G. Caldwell, twice sought to have his girlfriend promoted to a state job, made a sexually charged comment to a staff member and ignored warnings to adjust his behavior, according to a report Gov. Mikie Sherrill released Thursday evening.Ms. Sherrill called on Dr. Caldwell to resign by Friday, noting that investigators concluded that his behavior constituted sexual harassment and violated state ethics rules.A lawyer for Dr. Caldwell, however, gave no indication that a resignation was imminent. In written statements, the lawyer, Thomas Calcagni, called the investigation one-sided and said that it \u201clacked the requisite due process.\u201dThe report\u2019s findings, Mr. Calcagni added, were \u201cpalpably deficient and create a dangerous and challenging precedent for anyone who wishes to defend against anonymous conjecture and character assassination.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTThe strongly worded rebuttal suggested that a standoff between the governor and her second-in-command was possible, and Ms. Sherrill\u2019s supporters began to speak out in her defense.\u201cGovernor Sherrill is absolutely right,\u201d Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, wrote on X. \u201cThe conduct described in the investigative report is totally unacceptable.\u201d He said that Dr. Caldwell should resign \u201cfor the sake of our state.\u201dThe 61-page report was the culmination of an inquiry Ms. Sherrill, a Democrat, initiated in May after receiving an anonymous letter that claimed Dr. Caldwell, a former president of Centenary University, had behaved inappropriately toward women. Dr. Caldwell, who is Black, has denied the allegations and suggested that race and gender were at play.Ms. Sherrill had hired Christopher Porrino, a former New Jersey attorney general who served under former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, to lead the inquiry. Mr. Porrino\u2019s report, submitted on Wednesday to the governor, said that Dr. Caldwell\u2019s behavior \u201cconstituted sexual harassment and was derogatory or demeaning.\u201dIn one instance, in April 2026, Dr. Caldwell, 66, made a romantic advance toward a female staff member\u2019s friend, investigators found. After being rebuffed, the lieutenant governor told the staff member that ambitious women needed a man who was in a position to help them. \u201cBut you young women are looking for young sperm,\u201d he said, according to the report.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTDr. Caldwell denies ever making the comment, and Mr. Calcagni noted that the report made clear that a state trooper who was within earshot told investigators that he did not hear the alleged exchange.There were no claims that Dr. Caldwell had any inappropriate physical contact with a subordinate.The report also notes that Dr. Caldwell brought nonpaying guests to seven events, in violation of ethics rules, and that he recommended his girlfriend for a promotion to a \u201csenior leadership position\u201d even after being notified that his conduct was under investigation. He did not disclose his relationship with the woman, who did not get the promotion and no longer works in state government, the report said.Dr. Caldwell, Mr. Calcagni said, had never ordered anyone to promote the woman and did not control the hiring decision. \u201cThere is a difference between failing to disclose a personal relationship when forwarding the r\u00e9sum\u00e9 of a qualified job applicant,\u201d he said, \u201cand actually using the power of public office to secure a job or financial benefit for someone.\u201dThe position of lieutenant governor was created by referendum in 2005, and Dr. Caldwell is only the fourth person to serve in the role. He stands in as governor when Ms. Sherrill is away and also oversees the Department of State, putting him in charge of elections, including November\u2019s midterms.Those responsibilities made the timing of the inquiry particularly problematic for Ms. Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot who has said that she hoped to use her decisive victory last year to influence national Democratic politics. A federal political action committee she set up had endorsed a slate of like-minded veterans. But Ms. Sherrill, a former congresswoman, has not gone outside the New York metropolitan region for weeks, even as other Democrats crisscrossed the country in the run-up to the midterm elections.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTMs. Sherrill had not publicly acknowledged the investigation, first revealed three weeks ago by The New Jersey Globe, until Thursday.The inquiry began just four months after she and Dr. Caldwell were sworn in. An anonymous complaint, signed by \u201ca Concerned NJ Resident,\u201d claimed that Dr. Caldwell, who is divorced, had brought \u201cuninvited female guests\u201d to events and handed out business cards to women he hoped to date.\u201cEnough is enough. He should not be trying to get dates while he is traveling on the taxpayer\u2019s dime,\u201d the person wrote, adding, \u201cPlease put a stop to this shameless and corrupt behavior.\u201dSoon after, Ms. Sherrill hired Mr. Porrino\u2019s firm to investigate the claims.Dr. Caldwell, in a written response to the allegations, said that the complaint was \u201cdriven by misinformation, false assumptions and what seems to be a personal vendetta against me.\u201d One of the guests, he noted, was his college-aged daughter.\u201cUnfortunately, in this current political environment, false accusations, especially against people of color, seem to be commonplace,\u201d he wrote.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTMr. Porrino\u2019s inquiry appeared to expand beyond the claims in the anonymous letter.At least 17 people were interviewed as part of the investigation, which was conducted jointly by Mr. Porrino and Shontae D. Gray, a former state and federal prosecutor. The report notes that Dr. Caldwell had undergone six trainings on workplace policy and ethics rules.Ms. Sherrill called the violations \u201ca pattern of behavior that does not meet the standards of this administration.\u201d\u201cThe ethical lapses persisted,\u201d she said, \u201cdespite multiple warnings and trainings.\u201dThe investigation, and questions about how it had been handled, had engulfed state politics for weeks.Republicans immediately called for Dr. Caldwell\u2019s resignation. Some of Ms. Sherrill\u2019s allies privately questioned why an inquiry that began months ago was not disclosed, even after an outside law firm had been hired to investigate the claims. And the state\u2019s N.A.A.C.P. conference had urged caution.\u201cAllegations are not findings,\u201d Richard T. Smith, the conference president, said in a statement earlier in September, adding, \u201cWe will watch this process closely, and we expect that the facts, evidence and appropriate standards of public accountability will ultimately guide whatever action is warranted.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTDr. Caldwell had served on the board of education in New Brunswick, N.J., where he lives, but was relatively new to politics when Ms. Sherrill tapped him last year as her running mate.He had founded a charter school in Asbury Park, N.J., and spent two decades as president of the Educational Services Commission of New Jersey, which operates schools for children with autism and at-risk behaviors.Dr. Caldwell\u2019s role as the state\u2019s chief elections officer has added complexity that stretches beyond November\u2019s elections.In July, Ms. Sherrill disclosed that an error that took place during the administration of her predecessor, Philip D. Murphy, had resulted in roughly 6,600 noncitizens being inadvertently registered to vote when seeking a driver\u2019s license. Hundreds of them went on to cast ballots, Ms. Sherrill has said.Republicans in Washington have sought records from the Department of State and repeatedly cited the breach as evidence of President Trump\u2019s claims of widespread voter fraud.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTMs. Sherrill linked her decision to call for Dr. Caldwell\u2019s resignation to Mr. Trump. \u201cThe president continues to undermine confidence in public service at the federal level,\u201d she said. \u201cIn New Jersey, I will not accept a culture that sweeps misconduct under the rug.\u201dKitty Bennett contributed research.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT",
    "published_at": "2026-09-24T23:30:48+00:00",
    "author_name": "Tracey Tully",
    "site_name": "The New York Times",
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    "ai_headline": "Gov. Mikie Sherrill Calls for the Resignation of Her Lt. Governor",
    "ai_simplified_title": "New Jersey Governor Calls for Lt. Governor Resignation Over Ethics Violations",
    "ai_excerpt": "New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has called for the resignation of Lt. Governor Dale Caldwell following an investigation that found he sought a promotion for his girlfriend and made a sexually charged comment to a staff member. Caldwell denies the allegations, calling the investigation one-sided.",
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