Former US Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer oversaw a “toxic, intimidating and humiliating” workplace and repeatedly breached department policy, according to an investigation by the department’s Office of Inspector General.
The report, released on Thursday, found that Ms Chavez-DeRemer tolerated harassment by senior aides, used government staff and resources for personal errands, improperly combined official and private travel, and failed to report several gifts.
It also concluded that she maintained an “inappropriately close and unprofessional relationship” with a member of her security detail, although investigators said they did not find sufficient evidence to establish that the pair had a romantic or sexual relationship.
Ms Chavez-DeRemer resigned in April, shortly before she was due to be interviewed by investigators. Her lawyer, Nick Oberheiden, said the report did not find that she had broken any laws.
“While some — with or without their own agenda — may not have liked the way she managed the Department, Secretary Chavez-DeRemer looks back with the same pride of having served President Trump’s Administration and the American workers,” Mr Oberheiden said in a statement.
Investigation found harassment allegations had merit
The inquiry was opened after an anonymous complaint and involved interviews with 53 current and former Labor Department employees, as well as a review of more than 500 documents, photographs and videos.
Witnesses described senior officials in the secretary’s office making threatening and demeaning remarks, commenting on staff members’ appearance and hygiene, and repeatedly threatening dismissal — including against employees suspected of leaking information to the media.
Investigators also heard allegations that deputy chief of staff Rebecca Wright made inappropriate comments about a worker’s hair and sexuality, and moved an employee’s desk because she did not want a “fat person” visible in the front office.
The report concluded that Ms Chavez-DeRemer appeared to know about the behaviour but failed to intervene or take suitable disciplinary action. Investigators said this amounted to breaches of departmental policy, though they did not conclude that the conduct constituted a federal crime.
The report also said career employees who raised concerns about possible breaches of federal travel rules were removed from some duties and reassigned away from the secretary’s immediate office.
Security detail and personal errands
Investigators examined the secretary’s relationship with a senior member of her protective detail, identified in the report as ASAIC 1. Hotel key-fob records and surveillance footage showed the agent entering Ms Chavez-DeRemer’s residence on several occasions and remaining there overnight.
The report said the evidence did not prove a sexual or romantic relationship, but found that the pair’s conduct was “inappropriately close and unprofessional”. It also raised concerns about the agent’s decision to alter security arrangements, leaving him alone with the secretary for extended periods.
During a personal trip to Oregon in April 2025, Ms Chavez-DeRemer allegedly asked her driver to enter a venue featuring partially nude dancers. When the driver hesitated after being instructed to give money to a performer, the report said the security official ordered him to comply.
Ms Chavez-DeRemer then allegedly gave the driver more cash and asked him to drop the notes one by one on the performer. The driver eventually complied against his wishes, according to the report.
Investigators also found that Labor Department employees were repeatedly directed to handle private matters during working hours. On one occasion, a personal aide and an executive assistant were taken by government vehicle to Ms Chavez-DeRemer’s home to organise her wardrobe, hang up laundry and dry cleaning, and arrange clothes, shoes and handbags.
Other alleged tasks included collecting personal packages during a 43-day government shutdown, buying ornaments, gifts and alcohol, arranging cleaning services, overseeing movers and translating for workers at the secretary’s home.
The inspector general concluded that directing staff to carry out such duties breached federal ethical standards governing the use of subordinates’ official time.
Travel and gifts under scrutiny
Ms Chavez-DeRemer’s “America at Work” tour was also examined. Investigators found that official engagements were added to some journeys that appeared to have been planned for private reasons, allowing government funds to be used for the travel.
In December 2025, a speaking engagement assigned to deputy secretary Keith Sonderling was reassigned to Ms Chavez-DeRemer after a lobbyist gave her complimentary tickets to a rodeo in Las Vegas. The report said the arrangement appeared to provide an official justification for her personal trip.
The tickets were worth about $100 each and were not reported through the required ethics process. Investigators also identified an alligator-hide wallet, valued at about $200, and two cowboy hats among gifts that were not properly recorded.
The report detailed other travel concerns, including a hotel claim that exceeded the applicable government allowance and a Florida stay at a luxury hotel and spa where accommodation costs were about three times the federal reimbursement rate.
It further found that alcohol had been consumed and stored at the Labor Department’s headquarters without the written authorisation required under departmental rules.
Mr Sonderling became acting labor secretary after Ms Chavez-DeRemer’s resignation and remains in charge while the administration’s next appointment is considered.
