Chavez-deremer Stepping Down As Labor Secretary

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is stepping down from her Cabinet post amid a series of misconduct allegations against her and her top staffers.

White House communications director Steven Cheung said Monday that Chavez-DeRemer is leaving "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," he said in a statement posted to social media.

Chavez-DeRemer has been under scrutiny since January, when DOL Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito opened an investigation into allegations that she was involved in an extramarital affair with a member of her security detail, that she drank on the job and that top aides concocted official events to facilitate her personal travel plans.

The White House initially stood by her, calling the allegations false and saying that the Labor secretary was considering legal action against the person who filed the claims of wrongdoing.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Jan. 15 that the president thought Chavez-DeRemer was “doing a tremendous job,” and the White House had repeatedly signaled support for Chavez-DeRemer amid the IG investigation.

Since then, four people who had been placed on leave during the investigation have left the Labor Department.

Chavez-DeRemer's chief of staff Jihun Han and deputy chief of staff Rebecca Wright, both of whom had worked on her congressional staff during her single term in the House, quit under pressure from the White House.

Brian Sloan, the security staffer accused of engaging in the extramarital affair with the Labor secretary, resigned in March rather than cooperating with the probe. And the head of Chavez-DeRemer's advance team, Melissa Robey, was fired shortly after sitting for an interview with investigators.