Former Trump Labor Secretary’s Staff Antics Come To Light

Former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer oversaw a “toxic, intimidating, and humiliating” workplace where employees were pressured to drink on the job and ordered to perform personal errands, according to a new report from the Department of Labor’s inspector general.

The report, released Thursday, details the findings of a months-long investigation into Chavez-DeRemer and several of her senior aides. Investigators interviewed 53 current and former Labor Department employees and reviewed more than 500 documents, photographs, and videos.

The investigation found that Chavez-DeRemer’s conduct was inconsistent with applicable policies and ethical standards in multiple areas. Those findings included an “inappropriately close and unprofessional relationship” with a senior member of her security detail, improper travel, unauthorized possession and consumption of alcohol on federal property, misuse of government resources, and failure to properly report gifts. 

One particularly bizarre episode occurred during a personal trip to Oregon, when Chavez-DeRemer asked to stop at a strip club with members of her security detail. According to the report, Chavez-DeRemer gave a security agent serving as her driver money from her purse and instructed him to give it to a female performer.

When he hesitated, a senior security official told him to comply. Chavez-DeRemer then handed the driver additional cash and instructed him to drop the bills one at a time onto the woman.

The inspector general did not find direct evidence that Chavez-DeRemer and the security official had a romantic or sexual relationship. Investigators nevertheless documented an extensive series of interactions between the two, including personal outings, physical contact, and overnight stays in the same hotels.

Hotel door-lock records from two Las Vegas trips appeared to indicate that Chavez-DeRemer and the security official spent portions of nights in each other’s rooms.

Key-fob records and surveillance footage also documented the security official visiting Chavez-DeRemer’s home. The report said the relationship appeared to continue even after the agent had been placed on administrative leave and suspended from his official duties. Chavez-DeRemer and the security official both declined to be interviewed by investigators. 

The report also found that alcohol was repeatedly consumed and stored on federal property without authorization. Witnesses told investigators that Chavez-DeRemer and members of her senior staff drank during the workday and pressured other employees to drink as well, including ridiculing employees who declined.

The alleged misuse of employees’ time extended beyond drinking. At one point, Chavez-DeRemer directed her personal aide and executive assistant to drive to her home in a Labor Department vehicle during working hours to organize her bedroom closet. The employees were instructed to hang clothing and dry cleaning and arrange her shoes, purses, and other belongings. They were then asked to provide a video documenting the completed work. The inspector general included an image of the organized closet in its report. Other employees were allegedly sent to retrieve Chavez-DeRemer’s personal packages, make personal purchases, and handle other errands unrelated to their government duties.

The report also found that Chavez-DeRemer combined personal and official travel, including trips involving family, personal residences, and Las Vegas. Investigators identified gifts that were not properly reported, including rodeo tickets, cowboy hats, and an alligator-hide wallet.

The broader workplace described by investigators was similarly troubling. Employees said senior officials routinely engaged in “threatening, demeaning, and abusive verbal and written communication.” Witnesses described employees being berated in front of colleagues, performance issues being discussed publicly, and staff members being threatened with termination.

Investigators also heard allegations that staffing decisions were influenced by physical appearance rather than qualifications. In one instance, a senior official allegedly wanted an employee’s desk moved because they did not want a “fat person” visible in the front office.

Chavez-DeRemer resigned from the Cabinet in April, becoming the third Trump Cabinet official to leave office during the administration. The White House said she was departing for a private-sector position, while her attorney said she wanted to prevent the allegations from distracting from the Labor Department’s work. Her resignation came one day before she was scheduled to sit for an interview with the inspector general. Her attorney later declined to make her available.

Her attorney, Nick Oberheiden, disputed the significance of the report, telling the Washington Post that it “confirms that Secretary Chavez-DeRemer did not violate any laws.”

Chavez-DeRemer previously characterized the allegations as attacks and distractions.

The Department of Labor is now led by Keith Sonderling, whom President Donald Trump has nominated to permanently head the agency.