I Defended Dale Caldwell. Then He Quit (Opinion)
Defending Dale Caldwell was not a popular position to take, for sure.
I believe in due process and the presumption of innocence, so for me, it was an obvious choice, and I don't regret doing it.
I defended Caldwell because of due process
In my first article, I argued that anonymous allegations should not be enough to destroy someone's reputation.
Caldwell denied the accusations; some witnesses appeared to contradict portions of the original claims, and I believed he deserved the same presumption of innocence and due process that we should expect for anyone.
When the investigative report was released, I defended him again.
The report highlighted a sexual harassment allegation and ethics violations, but Caldwell disputed the conclusions, including the allegation that he made the now-infamous “young sperm” comment.
His attorney attacked the investigation as unfair and one-sided.
I argued that Caldwell should fight back and let the evidence be tested publicly.
Then he quit. The Governor demanded his resignation within 24 hours, and he caved and walked away.
Caldwell was the elected lieutenant governor. He could not simply be fired by Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
If he genuinely believed the investigation was fundamentally unfair and its central conclusions false, he had an opportunity to stand his ground and make that case.
Instead, he abruptly resigned while continuing to insist that the accusations against him were false.
That's odd and makes me question whether the conclusions of the investigation were more accurate than the former lieutenant governor is saying.
After watching Caldwell's extensive interview with ONNJ's Laura Jones, I'm left with another uncomfortable question.
Watch Laura Jones's full ONNJ interview with Dale Caldwell here.
Caldwell's resignation raises new questions
For years, Democrats and progressive activists have told Americans that women who come forward with allegations of harassment deserve to be heard and believed.
Now Caldwell wants the public to believe him and reject the account of the woman at the center of the harassment finding.
So, Caldwell wants you to believe all women except the one accusing him?
Yikes. I guess for these Democrats, “Believe all women” means only when the accused belongs to the other political party or when their allegations are politically convenient.
To be clear, that doesn't mean Caldwell is guilty simply because a woman accused him. That was precisely the point of my original defense.
Accusers deserve to be heard, allegations deserve to be investigated, and the accused deserves due process, but those principles have to apply consistently.
Caldwell says the investigation got it wrong.
He has released a detailed rebuttal challenging its conclusions and questioning how investigators weighed conflicting testimony.
He has every right to make that case, but he already resigned.
He made a ridiculous public statement about not wanting to be a 'distraction' for the Governor, whom he still supports.
Sure, that makes sense. He claims he's wrongly accused, his reputation has been tarnished as an alleged harasser and he still supports Sherrill?
He's either not being completely truthful, or maybe he's complicit in whatever backroom political game is being played.
I defended Dale Caldwell because I believed he deserved the opportunity to fight for his reputation.
Instead of fighting for what he claimed was the truth, he quit, ran away scared and went back to his safe spaces.
Perhaps he simply wasn't strong enough to handle the tough arena that is NJ politics.
Or perhaps he's got something to hide.
We may never know. But for now, we move on. Dale drifts into irrelevancy and we gear up for the next thing coming at us from Trenton politicians.
Buckle up. If this move on Caldwell was political, then just wait till the next shoe drops.
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own
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The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.
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