A recent report from the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General has brought to light serious allegations against Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the former labor secretary under Donald Trump. According to the findings, Chavez-DeRemer reportedly consumed alcohol during working hours and stored alcoholic beverages on federal property. Additionally, she is accused of compelling a staff member to accompany her to a strip club during a personal trip. These allegations raise significant concerns regarding professional conduct and adherence to federal regulations.
As per Fox News, the assistant special agent-in-charge (ASAIC) assigned Chavez-DeRemer’s driver to enter the establishment with her, and she handed the driver a stack of cash and instructed him to give it to one of the dancers. When the driver refused, the ASAIC instructed him to comply.
What does the report allege?
Chavez-DeRemer was appointed by Trump to serve as labor secretary in January 2025 and resigned in April 2026 amid the misconduct allegations, per The Guardian. The pair reportedly grew close soon after she joined the department in March 2025, often messaging through the encrypted app Signal during off-duty hours. “ASAIC 1 allegedly focused on his interactions with Chavez-DeRemer, monitored her interactions with other agents, and reduced the presence of other DPO personnel to create opportunities to be alone with her, resulting in reduced protective coverage for the Secretary. The investigation began in January 2026 after an anonymous complaint, and 38 witnesses gave statements. “The agent again hesitated and sought intervention from ASAIC 1, who told him to follow Chavez-DeRemer’s instructions.
The 38-page report also contains striking allegations that Chavez-DeRemer “engaged in an inappropriate relationship” with a “bodyguard,” per the Fox News. She had been under investigation after the Office of Inspector General (OIG) received an anonymous complaint in January, according to Fox News. A witness said they saw Chavez-DeRemer massaging the ASAIC’s shoulders in a car after his driving shift. When she asked if he was tired, he allegedly said he was “solid as a rock,” and the two laughed. “The witness interpreted the comment as sexual innuendo,” the report read. The report also said she helped create a “toxic, intimidating and humiliating” work environment. During a personal trip 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,” according to the report. “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,” the report stated. The report accused Chavez-DeRemer 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,” Her hotel costs reportedly went over the allowed limit, including three nights at a “luxury hotel and spa” in Palm Beach, Florida. It also said that Chavez-DeRemer and her aides “regularly drank alcohol in Chavez-DeRemer’s study during official duty hours. Chavez-DeRemer’s attorney, Nick Oberheiden, responded to the report in an emailed statement: “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,” as per The Guardian.
The complaint alleged Chavez-DeRemer had an inappropriate relationship with the assistant special agent-in-charge (ASAIC) of her department’s Division of Protective Operations, who the report did not name. She 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, as per the report. The alleged relationship reportedly affected his job performance too. The agent complied against his wishes.
