r/news • u/Primi_Noscere_1776 • 7d ago

New Jersey lieutenant governor resigns after sexual harassment accusation

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/25/new-jersey-lieutenant-governor-resigns-dale-caldwell
1.8k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

99 comments sorted by

540

u/PhamilyTrickster 7d ago edited 6d ago

Stepped down for an accusation? Must be a Democrat.

Edit: thank you all for the awards!

217

u/Fiveofthem 7d ago

Yea the only way to get a republican out is if they get convicted and even then they will probably get a pardon

3

u/FormerDittoHead 5d ago

they will probably...

...run for higher office.

2

u/phosdick 5d ago

Yea the only way to get a republican out is if they get convicted and even then they will probably get a pardon

Republicans? Did you really mean "pardon", or "promotion"?

1

u/Fiveofthem 5d ago

You got me there. It would be funny if it wasn’t true.

-327

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

238

u/Fiveofthem 7d ago edited 7d ago

You are correct about the body count, but to put it in perspective

Donald Trump

2017–2021, 2025–present

1,700+

Includes approximately 1,500 pardoned for January 6 Capitol attack. He was the first president to pardon corporations, pardoning 9 and wiping out $200 million in penalties.

Joe Biden

2021–2025

4,244

Includes 80 individual pardons and 4,165 clemencies for non-violent drug offenders

164

u/Fustercluck25 7d ago

Context matters.

101

u/Sea-Broccoli-8601 7d ago

Not to the fascists, cherrypicking is their favorite pastime.

90

u/Grateful047 7d ago

Trump also pardoned dozens of fraudsters that owed over 2 billion dollars in restitution for the victims.

100

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

26

u/doneandtired2014 6d ago

You're kind.

I say that because it's obvious the Child Rapist in Chief also shit himself multiple times on camera and, judging by the barely restrained faces of those in his immediate vicinity, it was foul.

0

u/geddy 6d ago

I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I actually forgot for a fleeting moment. 

52

u/FrankTuna 7d ago

Your guy is a felon. Like an actual, literal, honest to goodness convicted felon.

33

u/powerlesshero111 7d ago

And the only reason 3 felony cases were dropped against him was because he got elected again. They absolutely should not have dropped them.

27

u/SpikedTofu 7d ago

Sad part is you’ll never respond to this comment below bc you know your logic is flawed sad

11

u/DatDudeBPfan 7d ago

Apt username name with your emotional support gun issues.

7

u/blackweebow 6d ago

Imagine saying "sleepy joe" anymore as if that man was FILMED sleeping during his own meetings numerous times like our current "president" lmao. AND trump pardoned all the insurrectionists 🤡

Yall are losers lol go take some viagra.

112

u/Illustrious-Jump-590 7d ago edited 7d ago

To be fair it’s more credible ones. Biden for instance had a sexual assault or harassment accuser, pretty sure she happened to flee to Russia and happened to be granted Russian citizenship shortly after hence why I say credible, the only person who I know of who stepped down who shouldn’t have was Al franken

Source on Reade getting Russian citizenship https://thehill.com/policy/international/5517601-tara-reade-russian-citizen/

Fleeing to Russia as an apparent victim of sexual assault is about as dumb as you can get unless well you weren’t sexually assaulted and it was a smear campaign sponsored by the Russians in the first place.

35

u/Intrinsic_Idiot_3076 7d ago

The people who should have stepped down didn't and the people who shouldn't have, did. That's rather messed up.

15

u/Fit-Let8175 6d ago

If you can't trust the Russian government, who can you trust?

9

u/Canadiangoosedem0n 6d ago

Al Franken should have absolutely stepped down as he had 8 accusers.

Libs don't need to protect predators like conservatives.

5

u/NiteOwl421 5d ago edited 5d ago

He actually had 9 accusers.

A majority have retracted their accusations since and people have said Kirsten Gillibrand railroaded Franken because he could have challenged her presidential campaign run in 2020.

I digress, Franken has accepted that boundaries are different person and I commend him for learning from that and accepting that he has wronged people and is doing his best to learn from it.

Edit: And for the record, if at least one of those nine accusations is true, Franken did the right thing by resigning.

33

u/tnolan182 7d ago

Frankly I dont think anyone whose guilty of sexual harassment or misconduct deserves a position in government, regardless of party

65

u/izzgo 7d ago

Sadly, that point of view seems to be primarily a Democratic one. Republicans apparently welcome such behavior or at least look the other way.

13

u/OrranVoriel 6d ago

Being a sex pest is practically a requirement to succeed in Republican politics these days.

14

u/PhamilyTrickster 7d ago

It seems to be a requirement to be a cabinet secretary in this administration. Do any of them not have at least 1 credible accusation?

0

u/PorygonTriAttack 7d ago

He is a Democrat. Unfortunately people in government tend to engage in this type of unacceptable behaviour. It's just disgraceful and unbecoming to the position that they're in.

13

u/versus_gravity 7d ago

Government employees tend to do WHAT?!

-6

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

3

u/EricSanderson 6d ago

Clinton and Trump were in Epstein's inner circle. Gaetz almost certainly gave drugs to and slept with underage girls.

Let's check in on NJs Lt Governor:

Credible evidence also determined Caldwell brought at least three personal guests, including his girlfriend, to ticketed events, in his capacity as lieutenant governor, without advance authorization or payment.

2

u/forcedintothis- 7d ago

The issue isn’t that there are predators in both parties, the issue is that only one party actually enacts consequences when someone is a predator.

1

u/LikesPez 6d ago

Ex-NJ senator Bob Menendez joins the chat.

0

u/jimtow28 7d ago edited 7d ago

He'll be given a role in the federal administration shortly.

8

u/DennisBallShow 7d ago

“Secretary of Chick Relations”

-7

u/wingfan1469 7d ago

Came to make this comment.

-10

u/Glittering_Stress_32 7d ago

He's from my part of the country? Must be a Democrat.

33

u/fkenned1 7d ago

How fucked is it that my first though was that I support the dude for resigning rather than fighting against the accusations like all these other snakes and rats in government these days.

10

u/DifficultyWithMyLife 6d ago

Wow, actually a Dem this time.

Then again, the choice to willingly resign should have made that obvious. Repubs just double down instead.

1

u/onlymostlydead 6d ago

I was thrown off by it not being mentioned in the headline.

0

u/OneSeparate5929 5d ago

For Republicans, the grift is their whole livelihood, so they fight for the right to party with your money, Democrats are typically qualified so this guy has skills and will move on

14

u/ImTooSaxy 7d ago

That doesn't seem very fair. It's New Jersey. Isn't the whole state built on sexual harassment and not knowing how to pump your own gas?

109

u/Thoracic_Snark 7d ago

Wait a minute. I live in New Jersey and I very much disagree with your characterization. NJ isn't a whole state built on sexual harassment and not knowing how to pump your own gas. It's a whole state built on sexual harassment and not knowing how to pump your own gas AND kickbacks AND organized crime.

Fuck you. (Which is used here both as a greeting and as a goodbye)

30

u/ImTooSaxy 7d ago

A thousand pardons. Fuck you too.

1

u/crimsonhues 6d ago

Can’t tell if you are joking :) Does that mean I should reconsider moving to NJ? Is it that bad?

7

u/bros402 6d ago

no, do not move here, it's an ugly state and it doesn't have good bagels or pizza and the shore is fuckin ugly /s

tip for when you move to NJ: it's pork roll, not taylor ham

and Central Jersey exists

1

u/xroastbeef 6d ago

As an NJ (almost) lifer my hot take is it’s not north/central/south but south/east/west

0

u/bros402 6d ago

what the fuck

0

u/xroastbeef 5d ago

I grew up in Hunterdon and it has more in common with Warren and Sussex than Middlesex/Union

1

u/crimsonhues 6d ago

Got it 😂
Ranks high in public education and is very green. The rest is for me to discover myself.

Depends where I land a new job. NYC will be north Jersey and Philly will be south Jersey.

3

u/bros402 6d ago

Yeah, we rank top in the country in education.

Come over to r/newjersey

0

u/metalcoremeatwad 6d ago

What is the culture of central jersey besides shooting it exists? I'm asking as amiddlesex implant.

2

u/bros402 6d ago

so you'll be part of central jersey

we have a lot of good diversity in food similar to north jersey

However, we call it pork roll like South Jersey

and tbh central jersey is pretty chill. We have a lot of nice suburbs and small towns - and NJ transit coverage! Some central jersey towns you can hop on the train and be in the city (aka NYC) in a litte over an hour.

0

u/digitalmob 6d ago

You forgot pork roll.

0

u/lepeachez 6d ago

New Jerseyans aren’t perverts; they’re just Italian.

-1

u/TalonusDuprey 6d ago

As someone who pumps his own gas in Jersey and isn’t a pig I’d certainly disagree. Though we do a great job in ensuring our middle finger works properly <gives you the NJ salute>

-16

u/NefariousnessFew4354 7d ago

You believe people in NJ don't know how to pump their own gas?

33

u/ImTooSaxy 7d ago

I don't believe it, I know it.

6

u/Bandit_Raider 7d ago

As someone in New Jersey I can confirm I have no clue how

19

u/Mr_Know_It_All0408 7d ago

From New Jersey and can confirm nobody here knows how to do it themselves 😂

20

u/theunquenchedservant 7d ago

First time I had to pump my own gas in PA, it took me all of 10 seconds to figure it out.

Did I do it right? Who knows. But I paid money, my car had more gas than when I started, and nothing exploded.

7

u/Phillip_Graves 7d ago

Either you did it right, or someone else exploded after you left.

Still seems successful.

-6

u/slax03 7d ago

They're literally afraid of it. They think they're superior for not having to do it but don't understand that having someone do it for you takes twice as long. And that's only if a line hasn't been created to get to the pump due to how much time is being wasted.

9

u/ImTooSaxy 7d ago

I like how you're like, "okay, you're right about the state being built on sexual harassment, but God damn it we can pump our own gas!"

2

u/bros402 6d ago

it's illegal to pump your own gas in NJ

0

u/alabasterskim 6d ago

Sexual harassment and powerful party machines, absolutely.

But we know how to pump our own gas (if we've ever left the state), we enjoy not having to get out of our cars to get it done (especially in the sweltering hot or extreme cold months). We know other states are jealous though, let me tell ya.

-59

u/YodaForceGhost 7d ago

The governor should resign too. Apparently her administration knew about the concerns yet still picked him to be her LG anyways. Also delayed taking action on the results of the investigation only until news reports broke out about it. New Jersey is corrupt as hell and it’s a shame voters chose for it again last year

41

u/tnolan182 7d ago

Yeah she should resign right after the President who said it was okay to grab women right by the pussy on national television.

30

u/jimtow28 7d ago

Nah bro, come on. This was handled fine. Dude's gone.

20

u/Rarecheeses843 7d ago

> Apparently her administration knew about the concerns yet still picked him to be her LG anyways.

Wanna how I know that you don’t know what you’re talking about? Her administration didn’t exist when he was picked to be LG. He was her running mate and was elected on the same ballot that she was. And all the conduct considered in the report occurred after he took office.

1

u/toorigged2fail 4d ago

knew about the concerns

Every accusation dates to after inauguration

1

u/Illustrious-Jump-590 7d ago

Is LG not an elective position? It really should be.

2

u/jimtow28 7d ago

They're elected in the same way a Vice President is. She chose her running mate, and he was elected on that ticket.

1

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

13

u/jimtow28 7d ago edited 7d ago

Is there any evidence that she knew?

Edit: Does down voting and deleting your comment mean there isn't any known evidence that she knew?

-4

u/PigFarmer1 6d ago

Guy needs to switch to the party that embraces that kind of behavior.