Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer Exits After Misconduct Probe

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned on Monday after a whistleblower complaint prompted an investigation launched earlier this year by the Inspector General’s Office.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung made the official announcement in a post on X, saying Chavez-DeRemer would leave the administration to work in the private sector.

“Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving the Administration to take a position in the private sector. She has done a phenomenal job in her role by protecting American workers, enacting fair labor practices, and helping Americans gain additional skills to improve their lives. Keith Sonderling will take on the role of Acting Secretary of Labor,” he posted.

Chavez DeRemer is the third Cabinet member to leave the Trump administration this year.

News of the U.S. (NOTUS) was first to report that Chavez-DeRemer was likely to step down, while The New York Post tied her exit to the probe into her alleged use of government-funded travel to visit family and friends, among other things.

According to the report, DeRemer was accused of encouraging staffers to fabricate “official” government trips to areas where she had friends and family so she could visit them at government expense. Also at issue were claims that she had been drinking during work hours and in the office, and allegations that she had been carrying on an extramarital affair with one of her security guards.

The investigation also delved into a series of text messages between Chavez-DeRemer’s staff members and her husband and her father.

In one such exchange, a staffer identified only as a woman, texted Shawn DeRemer, “I’ve been having so much fun traveling with LCD and being in the moment for everything!! I promise from now on I’ll check in.”

“You better. I was feeling forgotten. I figured you were still in church repenting after your exposure to the demon state of Oregon,” was DeRemer’s reply.

The Inspector General’s investigation is ongoing.