For nearly a week, a newly disclosed investigation into New Jersey’s lieutenant governor, Dale G. Caldwell, has engulfed state politics, embroiling Gov. Mikie Sherrill in a messy scandal less than a year into her term.
Ms. Sherrill, a Democrat, hired a private law firm months ago to lead the inquiry, and a report on the findings is expected to reach the governor’s desk in the coming days.
Her office has released no information about the investigation or its scope. But documents suggest that the inquiry began with an anonymous letter, sent in May to a variety of state officials and media representatives.
In it, a person who identified themselves as a “concerned NJ resident” claimed that Dr. Caldwell, who was working as the president of Centenary University when Ms. Sherrill tapped him last year as her running mate, had brought “uninvited female guests” to three events.
“He just showed up with them and they were admitted for free because he is the Lieutenant Governor and no one wants to tell him ‘no,’ ” the letter stated.
The complaint also accused Dr. Caldwell, who is single, of handing out business cards to women he was hoping to date. “He should not be trying to get dates while he is traveling on the taxpayer’s dime,” the person wrote. “And he should not be accepting free tickets to costly events for the women he is trying to impress.”
Dr. Caldwell, 66, has strenuously disputed the written claims, calling them “inaccurate, misleading and completely false.”
Dr. Caldwell, who is Black, has also suggested that race and gender were at play.
“As the first single Black man to serve at this level in government, I suspect that there will be other false accusations or rumors in the future,” he wrote May 28 to the state’s chief ethics officer, in response to the anonymous complaint.
“The complaint appears to be driven by misinformation, false assumptions and what seems to be a personal vendetta against me,” he added.
After receiving the anonymous complaint, Ms. Sherrill enlisted Christopher Porrino, a former state attorney general, to determine whether Dr. Caldwell had engaged in any inappropriate behavior with women during his short tenure as lieutenant governor.
Dr. Caldwell’s response to the May 6 complaint was first reported Wednesday by BINJE, a business news site, and authenticated by The New York Times. Details about the complaint itself have not been previously reported.
One of the women who joined Dr. Caldwell at an event was his daughter, the lieutenant governor said in his response to the complaint.
Robin Tyson, the woman who accompanied Dr. Caldwell to the two other events, said she was interviewed months ago by Mr. Porrino and other lawyers at his firm, who pressed her on whether Dr. Caldwell had ever offered her employment opportunities.
“‘They asked: ‘Do I have a relationship with him? Has he ever offered me a job or opportunities?’ ” said Ms. Tyson, an artificial intelligence business consultant, adding, “I have not made one penny.”
Ms. Tyson, who lives in North Carolina, said that she has known Dr. Caldwell for years but that the two do not have a romantic relationship. The events she attended — the Whitesboro Black History Gala and the Essex County Democratic Committee Women of Excellence lunch — took place on the same day, April 18.
The anonymous May 6 letter may not be the only complaint under investigation, according to a Democrat familiar with the scope of the inquiry. A woman who worked for Dr. Caldwell had also complained about inappropriate comments, the person said, adding that she did not allege improper physical contact.
In addition to being the state’s lieutenant governor, Dr. Caldwell is New Jersey’s secretary of state, who is responsible for running elections. As lieutenant governor, he also stands in as governor when Ms. Sherrill is out of state, a role he has fulfilled several times since May.
The investigation, and questions about how it has been handled, have consumed State House power players since Friday, when it was first revealed by The New Jersey Globe.
The Republican leader of the State Senate has called for Dr. Caldwell’s resignation. Democrats have questioned why an inquiry that began months ago was not disclosed even after an outside law firm was hired to investigate the claims. And Assemblyman Alex Sauickie, a Republican from Ocean County, has asked Ms. Sherrill to suspend all out-of-state travel until the matter is resolved.
“The governor cannot claim these allegations are serious enough to investigate and then hand the powers of her office to the person being investigated,” Mr. Sauickie said in a statement.
Ms. Sherrill did not address the inquiry until Tuesday, when she released a statement that did not mention the lieutenant governor by name.
“Anyone must know that they can come forward with a complaint and they will be safe from retaliation,” she said. “The subject of a complaint must also know and be confident that their rights will be protected as well and they will receive a fair and thorough review.”
“If the evidence warrants,” she added, “I will take appropriate action quickly.”
Kitty Bennett contributed research.
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