Supporters of Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell are pushing back against an investigation into allegations that he brought “uninvited female guests” to official events, arguing that organizers and other firsthand witnesses must be interviewed before anyone reaches conclusions.
The supporters announced Wednesday the formation of the “Let the People There Be Heard” movement, which is calling for a more complete review of events referenced in an anonymous letter that may have prompted the investigation.
The movement was announced by Sakina Cole, a political operative with ties to former Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who managed Tamara Harris’s unsuccessful Democratic primary challenge against now-Gov. Mikie Sherrill in her first bid for Congress in 2018.
Organizers identified three people they say have firsthand knowledge of the events: former Asbury Park school board member Felicia Simmons; Rev. Elorm Ocansey of Franklin Township, an assistant pastor at Transformation International Chapel; and Shirley Green of Whitesboro, executive director of the Whitesboro Historical Foundation.
Simmons said she became concerned after reading a September 9 New York Times report that said a female guest connected to the allegations had been repeatedly contacted by investigators.
“Why weren’t we, the organizers, contacted?” said Simmons, the organizer of the 2026 Whitesboro Black History Gala. “I was there. I was involved. I know the communications I received and what I witnessed.”
Simmons said investigators should distinguish between asking legitimate questions and letting an incomplete account be accepted as fact.
“The way this is being handled makes you ask if there is foul play at hand and what kind of findings are being developed,” she said.
The New York Times reported that an anonymous May letter alleged Caldwell brought women to events who had not been invited. Caldwell has denied wrongdoing, writing in a May 28 letter obtained by BINJE that “facts and integrity ultimately will prevail over rumor, innuendo, and false accusations.”
Sherrill has declined to confirm or deny whether Caldwell is under investigation. She has said that complaints involving members of her administration are taken seriously while emphasizing that the rights of accused individuals must be protected.
The administration has retained former Attorney General Christopher Porrino to conduct the review.
The new movement also emphasized Caldwell’s historic status as New Jersey’s first Black elected male lieutenant governor. Simmons said her support was not about protecting a politician but about ensuring that the accounts of Black communities and event organizers are not ignored.
“For me, defending him is not about protecting a politician,” Simmons said. “It is about protecting the truth of what I personally witnessed.”