Lori Chavez-DeRemer, U.S. secretary of labor, is the subject of a complaint alleging she pursued a relationship with a subordinate, drank while on duty and asked staff to fabricate official travel. The filing names her chief of staff and deputy chief of staff as having knowledge of the conduct. The White House and Labor Department have denied the claims, and the DOL inspector general said it does not confirm or deny investigations. Chavez-DeRemer has previously faced scrutiny over a department birthday event and reporting about two primary-residence mortgages.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer Faces Internal Probe Over Alleged Relationship With Subordinate and On‑The‑Job Drinking
Tom Williams / Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is the subject of an internal inquiry after a complaint alleged she pursued a relationship with a subordinate and drank while on duty, according to reporting by The New York Post.
A report from the New York Post claims that Lori Chavez-DeRemer is facing an internal investigation for pursuing a relationship with a subordinate. / REUTERS
Allegations
The complaint, filed with the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), says Chavez-DeRemer hosted the subordinate at her Washington, D.C., apartment on three occasions and met the same person twice in a hotel room while traveling. It also alleges she consumed alcohol during the workday, stored bottles of champagne, bourbon and Kahlúa in her office, and asked staff to fabricate official travel so she could spend time with family or friends.
Chavez-DeRember previously represented Oregon's 5th congressional district before joining Trump's cabinet. / Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Sources quoted in the report described Chavez-DeRemer as a demanding manager who required aides to run personal errands and perform menial tasks while on duty. The complaint additionally names Chief of Staff Jihun Han and Deputy Chief of Staff Rebecca Wright, alleging both had knowledge of the conduct described.
Chavez-DeRember has previously been criticized by Labor department staffers for throwing herself a lavish birthday party at the department's offices. / Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Responses
The White House dismissed the allegations. Spokesperson Taylor Rogers told outlets that, "Secretary Chavez-DeRemer is an incredible asset to President Trump’s team and she will continue advancing the President’s America First agenda." Department of Labor spokesperson Courtney Parella called the reports "categorically false," saying the secretary has complied with all ethics rules and department policies and is "considering all possible avenues, including legal action, to fight these baseless accusations from anonymous sources."
A spokesperson for the DOL OIG declined to confirm whether an investigation exists, noting that "it is the policy of the DOL OIG to neither confirm nor deny the existence or non-existence of any OIG investigation or complaint beyond what is published on our website." The office said it remains committed to "rooting out fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption through objective, independent oversight."
Background
Chavez-DeRemer, 57, represented Oregon’s 5th Congressional District from 2023 to 2025 and served as mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon, from 2011 to 2019 before President Donald Trump appointed her as secretary of labor. She and her husband, anesthesiologist Shawn DeRemer, married in 1991 and have two children. Shawn DeRemer told the Post, "There’s not an ounce of truth to this, and anyone who knows my wife would know that."
The secretary has faced scrutiny previously. Employees criticized a birthday party she held at Labor Department headquarters last April as tone-deaf amid departmental budget cuts attributed at the time to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. A September 2025 ProPublica report found that Chavez-DeRemer obtained two mortgages listed as primary residences in 2021; a spokesperson for the secretary said the couple intended the Arizona property as a retirement home but changed plans when she ran for Congress.
Next Steps
The OIG’s standard policy of not confirming investigations leaves the status of any formal inquiry unclear. The department and the secretary have denied the allegations and indicated possible legal action. Media organizations have sought comment from the Labor Department and the White House; the story remains under development.
Help us improve.
