Labor Secretary Weathers The Political Storm Swirling Around Her Agency

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and her team are fighting hard to project an image of business as usual in the face of a sprawling investigation by the department’s internal watchdog that is highlighting political strife at the agency.

Chavez-DeRemer is continuing to travel frequently on behalf of the Trump administration amid the chaos that has sidelined three people in her orbit and sparked a now-closed law enforcement investigation of sexual assault allegations against her husband. Meanwhile, the DOL inspector general’s probe continues to sprawl in ways that could imperil the Labor secretary.

The scandal has weighed heavily on Chavez-DeRemer, an Oregon Republican who served a single term in the House before she was defeated in 2024 and whose closest advisers include staffers from her congressional office.

"Secretary Chavez-DeRemer has satisfied each cooperation request made by those with supervisory authority over her," her attorney, Nick Oberheiden said in a statement. "While it appears that allegation after allegation against her or those near her is collapsing, the Secretary remains undistracted, laser-focused, and committed to serve the American workers.”

Two of her top aides, chief of staff Jihun Han and deputy chief of staff Rebecca Wright, have been on leave since January because of the IG’s investigation of alleged misuse of their authority to benefit Chavez-DeRemer. Han did not respond to a request for comment and no contact information was available to reach Wright.

Chavez-DeRemer’s husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, was drawn into the scandal after at least two female staffers alleged in interviews with the inspector general’s investigators that he touched them inappropriately — with one subsequently filing a police report in January.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the city’s Metropolitan Police Department looked into the claims, decided not to pursue charges and closed their investigations earlier this month, according to spokespeople for both agencies.

James Bell, a lawyer representing Shawn DeRemer, attributed the allegations against him and his wife to “Labor Department insiders vying for the Secretary of Labor’s position.”

The White House declined to comment. A DOL spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Chavez-DeRemer’s trouble began at the beginning of the year after the IG received a complaint accusing her of using official events to subsidize personal travel, drinking on the job and engaging in an extramarital affair, all of which she has denied. The investigation was first reported by the New York Post.

The inquiry is being led by DOL Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito, a former Republican congressman from New York who took office in December after Trump fired his predecessor early last year. The inspector general’s office did not return a request for comment.

The pair of Chavez-DeRemer aides who have been placed on leave have featured prominently in interviews conducted by DOL investigators with staff, according to four current officials at the agency who were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. While many find Chavez-DeRemer personally pleasant and engaging, several appointees have raised concerns about how her top aides have treated others within the building.

“A lot of [political appointees] are coming forward,” to talk to the inspector general’s team, said one of the DOL officials, who is not involved in the investigation.

Other concerns have cropped up during the investigation beyond its initial scope, including issues related to agency grantmaking and allegations involving her husband. Through his lawyer, DeRemer has strenuously denied wrongdoing.

But after the allegations against her husband came up, Chavez-DeRemer was told in late January that he would be prohibited from entering DOL’s headquarters, POLITICO previously reported. She did not play a part in that decision — made by the department’s solicitor at the recommendation of the inspector general.

DeRemer’s status did not change after MPD closed its investigation, according to two DOL officials.

While the IG investigation continues, Chavez-DeRemer kept up her public visibility. She is nearing completion of the goal she set shortly after taking charge at DOL, to visit all 50 states in her first year. March 11 will marks the anniversary of her being sworn into President Donald Trump’s Cabinet.

She also attended the president’s State of the Union address, seated in the same row as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.