Bucco calls Caldwell's resignation a necessary first step and demands the records
Anthony M. BuccoSenate Republican Leader in the New Jersey Senate
Senate Republican Leader Anthony Bucco called Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell's resignation an unfortunate but necessary first step. He asked when the allegations were first discovered and who in the administration knew, and demanded release of all related records, reports and internal communications with minimal redactions.
“But now that the Lieutenant Governor has agreed to resign, there is no reason to hide behind secrecy.”
Reporting
Other statements by Anthony M. Bucco in this case
Every statement by Anthony M. Bucco
Where this statement fits
Should Dale Caldwell resign as New Jersey's lieutenant governor after the investigation's findings?
On September 24, 2026, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill released a 61-page report, with exhibits, by the law firm Lowenstein Sandler LLP and called on Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell to resign by the next day. The firm, engaged by the Governor's Chief Ethics Officer after an anonymous complaint dated May 6, found that Caldwell made a comment to a female staffer that constituted sexual harassment under the state workplace policy, and that he violated state ethics rules by bringing personal guests to ticketed events without payment and by seeking a promotion for a state employee with whom he had a romantic relationship. Caldwell, through his lawyer Thomas Calcagni, disputes all three findings, denies making the comment, and says the process was one-sided and lacked due process; in a May 28 letter he called the complaint's accusations false. Republican leaders called for him to resign or step down before the report was released. The Associated Press reports that the Governor cannot fire a lieutenant governor and that the Legislature can impeach and remove one. The statement issued for Caldwell on September 24 did not say whether he would resign. On September 25, Sherrill announced that Caldwell had resigned, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News report. In a statement on his resignation, Caldwell said it should not be read as an admission of wrongdoing and that he strongly disputes the report; his lawyer said counsel would continue to challenge it.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
New Jersey Globe report on the four legislative leaders' reactions to Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell's resignation. It quotes Coughlin, Scutari, Bucco and DiMaio.
Before the quotation
Bucco had urged Caldwell to resign or face legislative action on September 24. Caldwell resigned on September 25, and Bucco's statement followed the resignation.
After the quotation
Assembly Republican Leader John DiMaio separately said the resignation was necessary and faulted Sherrill's vetting of Caldwell.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell should resign after the investigation's findings and Gov. Sherrill's call for him to leave office. Bucco called the resignation necessary, which agrees with that call. His demands about what the governor's administration knew concern a separate question, so they do not change the label. We labeled it Condemned.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Dale Caldwell, Mikie Sherrill
More from this case
Read the full caseSpadea questions Caldwell's denial after his resignation
“That's odd and makes me question whether the conclusions of the investigation were more accurate than the former lieutenant governor is saying.”Read statement
The Inquirer board says the reported conduct warranted Caldwell's departure
The Philadelphia Inquirer
“But Caldwell’s alleged behavior would and should constitute a firing offense in any number of more obscure private-sector jobs.”Read statement
Caldwell calls the investigation's report "specious" and says he is not resigning because of it
“The report, I think, was just specious. There are all sorts of wrong things and mistakes. I'm not resigning because of that ridiculous report. I'm resigning because I don't want to be a distraction to the Mikie Sherrill administration.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Bucco calls Caldwell's resignation a necessary first step and demands the records". First published: 2026-09-26. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/2803-senate-republican-leader-anthony-bucco-called-lt-gov