New Jersey Lt. Governor Resigns Over Ethics Scandal

New Jersey's No. 2 elected official is headed for the exit over an ethics scandal. Democratic Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell said he is resigning nine months into his term after an internal probe concluded he made a sexually suggestive comment to a staffer and committed other ethics violations, reports Politico. Among other things, the 66-year-old allegedly tried to use his position to get a promotion for a girlfriend and to try to get dates for himself, per the New York Times. Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a fellow Democrat, had called for his resignation on Thursday.

"I'm not resigning because of the report," Caldwell told the Times. "It's false. I'm resigning because I don't want to be a distraction to the administration." Caldwell had initially pushed back against the calls to resign, criticizing the investigation as thin and biased. But pressure mounted quickly, with Democratic Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim lining up behind Sherrill's call for him to go. The governor will choose his replacement. Caldwell's trouble began in May when an anonymous letter accused him of being "particularly shameless in handing out his state business cards and asking women out on dates."