Former Labor Secretary Resigned Amid Inspector General Report on Misconduct
A federal watchdog report alleges that former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer engaged in inappropriate conduct, including unreported gifts, misuse of travel funds and a strip-club incident, leading to her resignation days before an interview.
A U.S. Department of Labor inspector general report released on Sept. 3 detailed multiple allegations against former secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. The report says she drank alcohol during official duties, created a hostile workplace, charged personal travel to the government and accepted gifts without proper disclosure. It also describes an April 2025 incident in Oregon where she allegedly directed a security officer to give money to a performer at a strip club and to drop bills on the dancer, actions the officer carried out despite personal reservations.
The investigation examined Chavez-DeRemer and four senior staff members. Two were placed on administrative leave in January and terminated in March; a third resigned after being placed on leave; the fourth was fired in March. The report found that Chavez-DeRemer and her deputy chief of staff excluded agents from her detail based on age, physical fitness, perceived political affiliation and other personal criteria. The deputy chief of staff was reported to have made comments about employees’ appearance, race and sexual orientation, including relocating a desk to hide a “fat person” and advising an employee on hair length to avoid being perceived as lesbian.
Investigators concluded that Chavez-DeRemer and the deputy chief of staff improperly combined personal and official travel, violating Department of Labor policy and federal regulations. Witnesses said official trips were added to itineraries that included destinations Chavez-DeRemer intended to visit for personal reasons, resulting in government payment of travel costs to locations such as Portland, Oregon; Palm Beach, Florida; Spokane, Washington; and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Witnesses also reported that Chavez-DeRemer, the chief of staff and the deputy chief of staff regularly consumed alcohol in Chavez-DeRemer’s office during work hours, and that they pressured colleagues to drink or mocked those who declined. Keith Sonderling, the Senate-confirmed deputy secretary of labor, is currently serving as acting secretary. Chavez-DeRemer is listed as a staff member for a communications and public affairs firm.