Labor Secretary Resigns Amid Misconduct Allegations and Inspector General Probe

Key facts

• Former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer presided over a "toxic, intimidating and humiliating" office culture.
• The inspector general's report detailed allegations of alcohol use during work hours and pressure on employees to drink.
• Chavez-DeRemer allegedly had an inappropriate relationship with a member of her security detail.
• The report includes instances of Chavez-DeRemer asking staff to perform personal errands, including organizing laundry and making purchases.
• Chavez-DeRemer's attorney stated she did not violate any laws.

A federal watchdog report has detailed a "toxic, intimidating and humiliating" workplace culture presided over by former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a Trump administration appointee. The investigation by the Labor Department's inspector general, Anthony D'Esposito, found that 38 witnesses described an office environment marred by alleged alcohol consumption during work hours, inappropriate relationships, and the misuse of staff for personal errands.

The 44-page report indicates that Chavez-DeRemer was aware of and failed to stop the "threatening, demeaning, and abusive verbal and written communication" from her top aides, chief of staff Jihun Han and deputy chief of staff Rebecca Wright, who have since been terminated. Witnesses reported that Chavez-DeRemer, Han, and Wright openly discussed employee performance matters, including details of meetings where employees had cried, and pressured subordinates to consume alcohol during work hours.

Regarding an alleged inappropriate relationship with a member of her security detail, the inspector general's team reviewed evidence including hotel door-lock records and video footage. While direct evidence of a romantic or sexual relationship was not definitively established, the report noted instances where the two subjects appeared to spend overnight portions in each other's rooms during trips to Las Vegas. The agent in question ultimately resigned.

Further allegations include Chavez-DeRemer asking a security agent to give money to a partially nude dancer during a visit to a strip club. The report also details multiple instances where Chavez-DeRemer asked staffers to perform personal errands outside their official duties, such as organizing her belongings, retrieving packages, making personal purchases, and overseeing movers. Evidence of these tasks, including a video showing organized laundry, was provided by a staffer.

Chavez-DeRemer's attorney, Nick Oberheiden, stated that his client did not violate any laws and has since pursued new projects as a private citizen.