Sherrill hired outside firm months ago to probe lieutenant governor

Caldwell also serves as New Jersey’s secretary of state

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill retained attorney Christopher Porrino and his firm months ago to examine allegations that Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell behaved inappropriately with women, according to a person interviewed by attorneys conducting the probe. The investigation was first reported Wednesday by the New Jersey Globe. Sherrill has declined to publicly confirm or deny its existence.

The probe stems from an anonymous letter sent in May to state agencies by a person who identified themselves as a concerned New Jersey resident, according to a person familiar with the letter’s contents. The letter, which the New York Times first reported, alleged that Caldwell attended events in his capacity as lieutenant governor and handed out his business cards to women he hoped to date. The letter also alleged that Caldwell, who is divorced, brought women to three events as guests even though they were not on the guest list and had not paid for their tickets, because no one wanted to refuse him.

Robin Tyson, an artificial-intelligence business consultant who said she has known Caldwell for 30 years, said she attended two events with Caldwell on April 18: the Whitesboro Black History Gala and the Essex County Democratic Committee Women of Excellence lunch. Porrino interviewed her about those events several months ago, she said. Tyson said Porrino asked her whether she was in a romantic relationship with Caldwell or whether he had offered her employment, both of which she denied.

“We don’t have any romantic relationship,” Tyson said. “I don’t live there. I live in North Carolina. I love living here. He’s in New Jersey.”

Tyson said she had not seen Caldwell for nearly 10 years before the April events. After Sherrill and Caldwell won their election, she said, she reached out to congratulate him. Caldwell later asked her for help creating historical AI commemorative pieces for his LinkedIn page, she said, and did not pay her for the work; she said she never expected to be compensated. When she told Caldwell she would be in New Jersey in April, he asked if she would accompany him to events where he had to appear, and she agreed. “I didn’t get a paycheck,” she added.

Porrino did not respond to requests for comment.

Local media outlets also reported that a colleague of Caldwell had sought to file a complaint about him during his tenure as president of Centenary University in Hackettstown, New Jersey. John Schol, the university’s current president, said in a statement that the school is “aware of the public reports regarding Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell and cannot comment while the matter is being addressed through appropriate processes.” The university “has received no information through our confidential outreach,” Schol said.

Caldwell, a 66-year-old United Methodist pastor, served as president of Centenary University before Sherrill selected him as her running mate. He previously held posts as executive director of the Rothman Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Fairleigh Dickinson University and as president of the Educational Services Commission of New Jersey. As lieutenant governor, he concurrently serves as New Jersey’s secretary of state, the state’s top election official.

In July, Sherrill disclosed that thousands of noncitizens had been erroneously registered to vote after applying for driver’s licenses and identification cards between June 2023 and June 2024, a period under the prior administration. The Division of Elections within the New Jersey Department of State, led by Caldwell, had been working to correct the errors.

Sherrill’s handling of the two matters has drawn different scrutiny. When she learned that noncitizens had been inadvertently registered, she publicly disclosed the issue and announced the retention of a law firm to investigate how the errors occurred. With the Caldwell matter, she did not announce that a probe had begun and has not provided specifics about it.

On Wednesday, Sherrill told reporters she would not confirm or deny whether there is an ongoing investigation. “I’m not going to confirm or deny whether there’s an ongoing investigation, but what I can commit to people is that any complaints are taken very seriously and certainly anyone who has a complaint lodged against them, their rights are protected and they have a full airing and a full review,” she said.

New Jersey Republican leaders called on the governor to be more forthcoming. Senate Republican Leader Anthony Bucco and Assembly Republican Leader John DiMaio sent a letter seeking a legislative investigation. “Governor Sherrill has claimed transparency and accountability as defining aspirations of her administration,” they wrote. “Those principles must also apply when the conduct and decisions of her own administration are under scrutiny.”

Sean Higgins, a spokesman for Sherrill’s administration, pushed back on the Republican criticism. “Governor Sherrill answers to the people of New Jersey—not Trenton Republicans who are silent on the corruption and incompetence of Donald Trump,” Higgins said. Speaking on behalf of Caldwell, Higgins declined to comment on the investigation.