A federal watchdog in the United States has published a report detailing allegations of misconduct involving former US Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who resigned in April. On Thursday night, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General released 44 pages detailing incidents where Chavez-DeRemer reportedly blurred the line between her public office and personal life. The report drew from 500 documents and interviews with 53 current and former Labor Department employees, as well as one employee from another federal agency.
It said 38 of the interviewees described the secretary’s office as a “toxic, intimidating and humiliating” workplace. It also accuses Chavez-DeRemer of using government employees for private errands, drinking alcohol in her office during working hours and developing an “inappropriate relationship” with a member of her security detail. The rumours of misconduct ultimately forced Chavez-DeRemer to leave her post on April 20.
She became the third cabinet secretary to leave the second administration of President Donald Trump, after the departures of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this year. Chavez-DeRemer, a former Republican Congress member from Oregon, was sworn in on March 11, 2025. Her position lasted just over a year.
The final months of her tenure saw the resignations of several high-level staff members. One, Melissa Robey, claimed in media reports that she was fired under pressure from the White House after sitting down with the inspector general’s office. Thursday’s report alleged that Chavez-DeRemer oversaw a hostile workplace, with senior staff having “routinely engaged in threatening, demeaning, and abusive verbal and written communication” towards their colleagues.
It cited incidents of Labor Department employees being berated in front of colleagues and threatened with termination. Some of the episodes involved Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff, Rebecca Wright. She allegedly relocated one employee’s desk to avoid having a “fat person” seen in the front office, and she reportedly advised another employee not to cut her hair too short to avoid looking like a “lesbian”.
The report alleges that Chavez-DeRemer was aware of such incidents but failed to take action to prevent them from happening. Investigators also found that Chavez-DeRemer herself directed government employees to perform personal tasks during official time. A personal aide and executive assistant were reportedly sent to her residence to organise her closet, hang laundry and arrange her clothing and purses.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
