An internal investigation, released late Thursday, has found that former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer engaged in several misconducts during her tenure. The report indicates that she allowed harassment among staff members, maintained an inappropriate relationship with a security aide, and misused government funds for personal travel. These findings raise significant concerns regarding accountability in her leadership and the overall workplace environment within the department.
Findings on Former Secretary’s Relationship with Security Team Member
An investigation by the Labor Department’s inspector general, Anthony D’Esposito, has revealed that the former secretary engaged in an “inappropriately close and unprofessional relationship” with a member of her security team. However, the investigation did not find sufficient evidence to support claims that this relationship was sexual or romantic in nature.
In all, the report said, Chavez-DeRemer’s conduct was “inconsistent” with agency standards in six areas, including that she failed to prohibit harassment in the workplace, consumed alcohol in the office without proper authorization, had staff perform personal tasks for her using official time and resources, and failed to properly report gifts. Witnesses also said Chavez-DeRemer, Han and Wright would openly discuss other employees’ performance in front of other staff, including whether employees had cried during meetings. The investigation didn’t find enough evidence to substantiate allegations that Chavez-DeRemer’s relationship with her security staffer was romantic or sexual, the report said, but it described multiple instances of unprofessional or unusually close behavior between the two. An employee recounted seeing the former secretary massaging the agent’s shoulders, for example, and witnesses said the two often texted each other on their personal phones outside of work hours.
Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling took over the oversight of the agency after Chavez-DeRemer’s resignation, and President Trump in June nominated him to be labor secretary.
