Former Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer was appointed by Donald Trump in January 2025 and resigned in April 2026 amid allegations of misconduct. The Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General report alleges that Chavez-DeRemer drank on the job, kept alcohol on federal property, and directed employees to perform personal tasks for her during work hours. Thirty-eight witnesses provided testimony, alleging a "toxic, intimidating, and humiliating" work environment created by Chavez-DeRemer. The report also accuses Chavez-DeRemer of using agency funds for personal travel and making staffers attend a strip club with her on a personal trip to Oregon.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the former Labor Secretary under President Trump, has been accused of misconduct in a report released by the Office of Inspector General (OIG). The investigation found that Chavez-DeRemer violated her department's policy against harassment and created a "hostile work environment" at the Labor Department's headquarters in Washington, D.C. 38 out of 53 interviewees, including current and former employees, described the workplace as "toxic, intimidating and humiliating". The report also accused Chavez-DeRemer of using government employees for personal errands, drinking alcohol in her office during working hours, and developing an "inappropriate relationship" with a member of her security detail. Additionally, the investigation found that Chavez-DeRemer used agency funds for personal travel, including 13 trips to visit family or personal residences and 5 trips to Las Vegas. The report's findings come after an anonymous complaint was filed with the OIG in January 2026, prompting a months-long investigation.
Written for “Misconduct at Trump's Labor Department” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Donald Trump’s former secretary of labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, drank during working hours, kept alcohol on federal property and made a staffer attend a strip club while on a personal trip, according to a new report by the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General .
Chavez-DeRemer was appointed by Trump to serve as labor secretary in January 2025 and resigned in April 2026 amid the misconduct allegations.
The 38-page report contains striking allegations that Chavez-DeRemer “engaged in an inappropriate relationship” with a bodyguard, accepted gifts without properly reporting them under ethics rules and directed employees to perform personal tasks for her, including going to her home to organize her bedroom closet during work hours.
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DeRemer → drink → hours
The report also said she contributed to a “toxic, intimidating and humiliating” work environment.
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she → say → environment
Thirty-eight witnesses provided testimony for the report, which stemmed from an anonymous complaint filed with the office, prompting an investigation that began in January 2026.
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that → provide → January
Collectively, they alleged that Chavez-DeRemer created a “hostile work environment” during her relatively brief tenure as labor secretary.
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DeRemer → allege → secretary
Chavez-DeRemer’s attorney, Nick Oberheiden, said in an emailed statement in response to the report: “Secretary Chavez-DeRemer is not surprised about the report: the report is untimely, moot, built around undisclosed individuals, and concludes what Ms Chavez-DeRemer always knew, namely that she did not break any laws.”
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she → say → laws
The US Department of Labor said in a statement on the report and its findings: “the Department respects the integrity of the Inspector General’s investigation and refer you to their office on all matters related to the report.”
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Department → say → report
The report accused Chavez-DeRemer, who previously served as a member of Congress, of using agency funds for personal travel, citing interviews with witnesses who identified “at least thirteen trips to destinations where Chavez-DeRemer visited family or her other personal residences and five trips to Las Vegas, Nevada”.
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DeRemer → accuse → Vegas
Chavez-DeRemer’s lodging exceeded allowed reimbursement rates, including three nights at a “luxury hotel and spa” in Palm Beach, Florida, it stated.
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it → exceed → Beach
The report also alleged Chavez-DeRemer and her aides “regularly drank alcohol in Chavez-DeRemer’s study during official duty hours” and employees who abstained were ridiculed for doing so.
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who → allege → hours
During personal travel to Oregon last year, Chavez-DeRemer “requested an off the-record stop at an establishment that was determined upon entry to feature partially nude dancers”, the report alleged.
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report → request → dancers
“Chavez-DeRemer then took additional money from her purse and asked the agent to drop the bills one by one onto the partially nude woman,” it stated.
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it → take → woman
“The agent again hesitated and sought intervention from ASAIC 1, who told him to follow Chavez-DeRemer’s instructions.
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who → hesitate → instructions
The agent complied against his wishes.”
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agent → comply → wishes
The report also alleged Chavez-DeRemer’s staffers contributed to a hostile work environment, which included holding “beatdowns” where her aides “berated employees for perceived performance deficiencies”.
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aides → allege → deficiencies
Two of her top aides, Department of Labor chief of staff Jihun Han and deputy chief of staff Rebecca Wright, left the agency in March 2026 amid the investigation into their misconduct.
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Two → leave → misconduct
The report alleged Wright “reportedly evaluated applicants in part by appearance and weight, including Wright relocating an employee’s desk because she did not want a ‘fat person’ visible in the front office and making derogatory comments regarding another employee’s appearance and hygiene”.
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she → allege → appearance
Witnesses in the report also accused Wright’s aides of openly investigating employees to try to find out who had provided information to the media and had advised the firing of three employees they suspected of doing so.
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they → accuse → employees
“Witnesses further stated that Wright advised an employee not to cut her hair above her shoulders to avoid ‘turning into a lesbian,’” it stated.
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it → state → lesbian
“During a conversation with an employee and Chavez-DeRemer, Wright discouraged this employee from using the DOL daycare center based on the race of the daycare staff differing from that of the employee’s children.
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Wright → discourage → children
Chavez-DeRemer did not address Wright’s comments or acknowledge that they were inappropriate.”
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they → address → comments
