IG Report: Ex-Labor Secretary Had 'Inappropriately Close' Relationship With Security Chief

The Labor Department's internal watchdog released a report Thursday detailing misconduct by former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, including an "inappropriately close" relationship with the special agent who headed her protective detail and a workplace culture investigators described as toxic. The report also reveals that Chavez-DeRemer resigned in April -- the day before she was scheduled to sit down with investigators. It stands as a case study in the Trump administration's oversight system catching misconduct and moving quickly to clean house.

A Relationship That Raised Red Flags

The investigation grew out of an anonymous complaint filed in January, and investigators went on to interview 38 witnesses. The Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) concluded that Chavez-DeRemer "developed and maintained an inappropriately close and unprofessional relationship" with the assistant special agent in charge of the department's Division of Protective Operations. The report did not name the agent, and investigators said there was not enough evidence to determine the relationship was romantic or sexual.

According to the report, the two grew close almost immediately after she arrived at the department in March 2025, communicating frequently through the encrypted messaging app Signal during off-duty hours and about non-operational subjects. Witnesses described Chavez-DeRemer massaging the agent's shoulders in a car after he finished a driving shift and the pair walking arm in arm after leaving an event.

The relationship had real consequences for her security. The report said the agent focused on his interactions with Chavez-DeRemer, monitored her contact with other agents, and reduced the presence of other protective personnel to create opportunities to be alone with her -- resulting in reduced protective coverage for the secretary.

One incident from an April 2025 personal trip to Oregon stands out. Chavez-DeRemer asked for an unplanned, off-the-record stop at an establishment that turned out to feature partially nude dancers. She handed cash to a member of her security detail and directed him to give it to one of the performers, and when the agent hesitated, the special agent in charge ordered him to comply. The report says Chavez-DeRemer then pulled more money from her purse and asked the agent to drop the bills one by one onto the performer, which he did against his wishes.

A Toxic Office and Drinking on the Clock

Witnesses described the department's work environment under Chavez-DeRemer as "toxic, intimidating and humiliating." Investigators were told that she, her then-chief of staff Jihun Han, and deputy chief of staff Rebecca Wright openly discussed employee performance matters in front of other staff, including whether employees had cried during their performance meetings.

The three also regularly drank alcohol in Chavez-DeRemer's office study during official duty hours, according to the report. Witnesses who attended those meetings but declined to drink said they were pressured to join in or ridiculed for refusing. Investigators said they personally observed bottles of alcohol in the three officials' offices.

The report details a pattern of petty and demeaning behavior. Chavez-DeRemer excluded agents from her detail based on her perception that they were "too old, physically unfit, overly rule-bound, or 'too MAGA.'" The deputy chief of staff allegedly relocated an employee's desk because she did not want a "fat person" visible in the front office, advised one employee not to cut her hair too short to avoid "turning into a lesbian," and advised another not to use the employer-provided daycare center based on the race of the daycare staff.

Personal Trips on the Taxpayer's Dime

The OIG also found that Chavez-DeRemer and her deputy chief of staff improperly combined personal and official travel, in violation of Labor Department policy and federal regulations. Eleven witnesses told investigators that the deputy chief added official engagements to itineraries for destinations Chavez-DeRemer intended to visit for personal reasons, allowing the associated travel costs to be paid by the department.

Those destinations included Portland, Oregon, where Chavez-DeRemer owns a home; Palm Beach, Florida, where the pair attended an America First Policy Institute gala; Spokane, Washington, near an Idaho golf course; and Las Vegas, where she attended a rodeo with tickets provided by a lobbyist. The report also concluded that she accepted gifts without properly reporting them.

Accountability, Fast and Firm

The fallout was swift. Two employees tied to the investigation were placed on administrative leave in January and fired in March. A third was placed on leave and resigned in March, and a fourth was fired in March.

Chavez-DeRemer announced her resignation on April 20, saying she was leaving for the private sector. The report notes that her exit came one day before the OIG was scheduled to interview her. At the time, she was the third woman in a row to leave a Cabinet position. She is currently listed as a staff member at a communications and public affairs firm.

The administration did not leave the department in limbo. Keith Sonderling, a Senate-confirmed deputy secretary who is not alleged to have been part of any wrongdoing, has been running the Labor Department as acting secretary, and President Trump has tapped him for the permanent role pending Senate confirmation.

The report shows the accountability machinery working as designed: a whistleblower complaint triggered an independent investigation, officials were fired or forced out, and the former secretary resigned rather than face questioning. The next thing to watch is whether the findings lead to any further review -- and whether Sonderling's nomination moves to a confirmation vote.