2026年9月25日 美国东部时间晚上8:11 / 福克斯新闻网
戴尔·考德威尔出镜驳斥61页行为伦理调查报告，坚称自己辞职是为避免分散州长米奇·谢里尔的精力
作者：亚历克·舍梅尔 福克斯新闻
新泽西州副州长戴尔·考德威尔就性骚扰与伦理调查风波发表辞职声明
新泽西州前副州长戴尔·考德威尔在辞职后首次打破沉默，称州政府发布的行为失当报告“荒谬可笑”，并澄清自己辞职只是为避免分散政府注意力（图片来源：凯尔·马扎/CNP 为福克斯新闻数字频道供图）。
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【福克斯新闻独家首发】新泽西州前副州长戴尔·考德威尔周五出镜坚称，他辞职“是为了发挥作用”，而非妨碍州长米奇·谢里尔的工作，同时直接驳斥了迫使他下台的性骚扰与伦理调查结果。
考德威尔辞职的前一天，民主党州长米奇·谢里尔在历时数月的独立伦理调查结束后公开要求他辞职。这份61页的报告列举了多项已证实的违反伦理规定行为，包括“确凿无误”的性骚扰指控，以及多次不当尝试为与其有恋情的女性争取州政府职位晋升。
考德威尔在自家门外接受记者采访时，首次就辞职事件发表公开讲话，他痛斥州政府的调查报告“牵强附会”“荒谬可笑”“做得极差”，并补充称自己辞职是为了不让任何“干扰因素”影响谢里尔政府的工作。
“我辞职并非因为那份荒谬的报告，”考德威尔在镜头前说道，“我辞职是因为我不想成为米奇·谢里尔政府的干扰因素。”
众议院民主党议员因被指控与职员发生“不当性接触”遭调查
新泽西州前副州长戴尔·考德威尔在因性骚扰与公职失当指控接受伦理调查后，于自家门外接受记者采访（图片来源：福克斯新闻数字频道）。
“如果我会妨碍任何人取得成功，那我就该转行做些别的事，”考德威尔补充道，他提及自己曾担任大学校长，并在德勤咨询公司工作过的经历。
当被问及报告中的指控时，考德威尔建议人们自行阅读报告，但表示目前他仅会通过律师提供具体细节。
“我只是觉得这份报告做得很差。做得太差了。我的意思是，他们本可以做得更好。我只是对其中的法律工作感到失望，”考德威尔补充道。
共和党议员向年轻职员赠送礼物、“过度亲昵”行为在爆炸性伦理报告中被详细披露
考德威尔还提到，他周五曾通过短信与谢里尔州长取得联系，称“她是个很棒的人”“她本意是好的”，但未透露此次对话的更多细节。
新泽西州州长米奇·谢里尔2026年3月10日在新泽西州特伦顿市新泽西州议会大厦议会厅发表讲话（图片来源：希瑟·哈利法/彭博社 via 盖蒂图片社）。
“这类事情总会发生。正如我所说，我会继续以普通公民的身份工作，”考德威尔说，“我现在有更多时间去做很多事。所以我期待着支持本届政府，真正为民众提供帮助。”
根据州政府聘请的独立律师事务所开展的针对考德威尔行为的调查，考德威尔曾告知一名女性职员“你们这些年轻女性都在寻找年轻精子”，当时该职员告诉考德威尔，她的年轻朋友对与他发展恋情不感兴趣，这一言论违反了伦理规定。
调查人员认定该言论构成性骚扰，并认为考德威尔否认说过此话的说法不可信。调查还发现考德威尔存在其他违反行为准则与伦理规定的行为，包括未经报销带客人参加票务活动，以及为与其有恋情的州政府雇员争取职位晋升。
前特朗普内阁官员与保镖存在“过度亲密”关系，监察长发现
考德威尔的律师团队周四向美国全国广播公司新闻表示，他们“强烈反对调查中的三项结论”，因为调查结论“超出了证据支持的范围”。
但谢里尔驳斥了考德威尔的律师托马斯·卡尔卡格尼对调查的批评，称她认为调查“非常全面”，补充称报告“准确阐述了调查的内容、接触和约谈的人员，我认为这展现了长期令人担忧的行为模式”。
她还称性骚扰指控“确凿无误”，并称尽管考德威尔曾多次违规并接受伦理培训，但仍继续违反相关标准。
新泽西州民主党副州长候选人戴尔·考德威尔2025年11月4日在新泽西州东布伦瑞克与新泽西州民主党州长候选人众议员米奇·谢里尔（未在图中）一同出席选举夜活动（图片来源：迈克尔·纳格尔/彭博社 via 盖蒂图片社）。
考德威尔同时担任新泽西州务卿，负责监督选举事务的办公室工作。谢里尔周五表示，在距离中期选举仅剩数周之际，州代理审计官雪莉·埃梅赫卢将出任代理州务卿。
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根据《新泽西州宪法》，副州长职位出现空缺后，州长必须在45天内完成永久性任命。谈及人事过渡，谢里尔证实她将在宪法规定的45天期限内任命永久继任者，但表示不打算在过渡期内任命代理副州长。
若未任命代理副州长，一旦出现紧急情况或谢里尔离州，州长继任顺位将自动顺延至参议院议长尼古拉斯·斯库塔里。
福克斯新闻数字频道的贾斯敏·贝尔参与了本文报道。
亚历克·舍梅尔是福克斯新闻数字频道政治记者，原籍北卡罗来纳州夏洛特市，现居住在华盛顿特区-巴尔的摩都会区。
WATCH: Former Dem Lt Gov reveals why he resigned after sexual harassment probe rocked state
September 25, 2026 8:11pm EDT / Fox News
Dale Caldwell disputed a 61-page ethics report about his behavior on camera, insisting he left to avoid distracting Gov Mikie Sherrill
By Alec Schemmel Fox News
NJ Lt Gov Dale Caldwell addresses resignation amid sexual harassment, ethics probe
Former New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell breaks his silence after his resignation, calling the state’s misconduct report ‘ridiculous’ and clarifying he only resigned to avoid distractions (Credit: Kyle Mazza/CNP for Fox News Digital).
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FIRST ON FOX:Former New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell insisted on camera Friday that he resigned “to make a difference” rather than impede Gov. Mikie Sherrill, while directly disputing the findings of a sexual harassment and ethics probe that forced him from office.
Caldwell’s departure came just one day after Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill publicly called for his resignation following a months-long independent ethics investigation. The 61-page report described repeated ethics violations, including a “substantiated” finding of sexual harassment and repeated improper efforts to secure a state job promotion for a woman with whom he was romantically involved.
Speaking on camera for the first time since his resignation to a reporter outside his home, Caldwell slammed the state’s investigative report as “specious,” “ridiculous” and “poorly done,” adding he resigned to keep any “distraction” away from the Sherrill administration.
“I’m not resigning because of that ridiculous report,” Caldwell said on camera. “I’m resigning because I don’t want to be a distraction to the Mikie Sherrill administration.
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Former New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell speaks to a reporter outside his home after his resignation amid an ethics investigation into sexual harassment and official misconduct allegations.(Fox News Digital)
“If I’m going to impede anybody else’s ability to be successful, then I can move on to something else,” Caldwell added, citing his history as a university president and working at the Deloitte consulting firm.
When pressed about the allegations in the report, Caldwell encouraged people to go read it for themselves but said he was only providing specifics through his attorney for now.
“I just think it was poorly done. It was poorly done. I mean, I just think that there are ways that they could have done better. And I was just disappointed in the legal, the legal work in that,” Caldwell added.
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Caldwell also mentioned that he spoke with Gov. Sherrill via text message Friday, noting “she’s a wonderful person” and “she really means well” but did not provide any more specifics on that conversation.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill speaks in the Assembly Chamber of the New Jersey State House in Trenton, N.J., March 10, 2026.(Heather Khalifa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“This is one of those things that happens. And as I said, I’m going to continue to work as a private citizen,” Caldwell said. “I’m freed up to do a lot more things. So, I’m looking forward to supporting the administration and really supporting folks.”
According to the probe into Caldwell’s behavior, conducted by an independent law firm hired by the state, Caldwell violated ethics rules after telling a female staffer that “you young women are looking for young sperm” after she told him her younger friend was not interested in a romantic relationship with him.
Investigators concluded the remark constituted sexual harassment and found Caldwell’s denial that he made it was not credible. Other findings from the probe included violations of the code of conduct and ethics around bringing guests to ticketed events without reimbursement and seeking a promotion for a state employee with whom he had a romantic relationship.
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Lawyers for Caldwell said Thursday they “strongly disputed the three findings in the investigation” because its conclusions “go further than the evidence supports,” according to NBC News.
But Sherrill pushed back on the criticism from Thomas Calcagni, Caldwell’s lawyer, of the investigation, saying she thought it was “very thorough,” adding it “lays out exactly what the investigation looked into, who they contacted and spoke to, and I think lays out a pattern and practice of long-term concerning behavior.”
She also called the claims of sexual harassment “substantiated” and said Caldwell continued to violate standards despite “multiple” violations and ethics trainings.
Dale Caldwell, Democratic lieutenant governor nominee for New Jersey, speaks during an election night event with Rep. Mikie Sherrill, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for New Jersey (not pictured) in East Brunswick, N.J., Nov. 4, 2025.(Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Caldwell was also serving as New Jersey’s secretary of state, heading an office that oversees elections. Sherrill said Friday that the state’s acting comptroller, Shirley Emehelu, would become acting secretary of state with just weeks to go until the midterm elections.
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Under the New Jersey State Constitution, a vacancy in the office of the lieutenant governor must be permanently filled by the governor within 45 days. Addressing the transition, Sherrill confirmed she will appoint a permanent successor within that constitutionally mandated 45-day window but stated she does not plan to name an acting lieutenant governor in the interim.
Without an interim lieutenant governor in place, the line of gubernatorial succession falls to Senate President Nicholas Scutari in the event of an emergency or if Sherrill leaves the state before a permanent appointment is made.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
Alec Schemmel is a Politics Reporter for Fox News Digital who is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina but now resides in the Washington D.C.-Baltimore Metro Area.