New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill is calling for the resignation of her own lieutenant governor, Dale Caldwell. Caldwell was investigated earlier this year following allegations of inappropriate behavior with women and ethics violations, and the findings were released Wednesday. In a statement Thursday, Sherrill said he was giving Caldwell until Friday to resign, saying he “engaged in serious and repeated violations of state policy and failed to fulfill the responsibilities of his office.” Sherrill said ethical lapses persisted despite multiple warnings and training. “I hold everyone in my administration to the highest ethical standards. We all have a duty to follow our state ethics and harassment policy and our Code of Conduct. Anyone who violates them will be held accountable,” Sherrill wrote, in part. Caldwell’s attorney in a statement disputed the investigation’s findings. as ‘executive presence’, to imply an inappropriate motive; relies heavily and inappropriately on the multi-level perceptions, characterizations and rumors of the anonymous whistleblower; and ignores the testimony of employees who did not share those views, as well as the Lt. Governor’s own account,” they said in a statement, in part. According to the 61-page report, the investigation found evidence that Caldwell, 66, made a romantic advance toward an employee’s friend and made a sexual comment to the employee after he was rejected. Caldwell denies making that statement, according to his attorney. The findings also say Caldwell repeatedly tried to get an employee a promotion. state employee with whom she had a romantic relationship, without disclosing the nature of their relationship. Caldwell’s attorney, Thomas Calcagni, said the state employee did not receive a promotion, raise or any other benefits and eventually stopped working for the state government. “The report does not cite any evidence that Dr. Caldwell directed anyone to promote her, or controlled the hiring decision or demanded that she receive a new position,” he added. for free without obtaining ethical clearance, analyzing regulations and deliberately using public office for personal gain,” Calcagni said in part. More from CBS News at:
