Amid various allegations against her, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is stepping down, to be replaced by Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling on an acting basis.
The accusations against Chavez-DeRemer included drinking on the job, having an affair with a security guard, and conducting personal travel at taxpayer expense while forcing her staff to make up details about her trips, according to Fox News.
“Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving the Administration to take a position in the private sector,” Assistant to the President and White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said Monday.
“She has done a phenomenal job in her role by protecting American workers, enacting fair labor practices, and helping Americans gain additional skills to improve their lives,” he said.
Chavez-DeRemer has been trying to fend off a months-long investigation into her conduct, as noted by the New York Post, which had reported on allegations that Chavez-DeRemer used staff to run errands and buy her wine.
The outlet noted that a whistleblower complaint also claimed that she had chief of staff Jihun Han and deputy Rebecca Wright fraudulently document travel as having an official purpose when it was actually personal.
“While she continues to strongly dispute the allegations that have been raised, Secretary Chavez-DeRemer believes it is in the best interest of the country to allow the administration to remain fully focused on delivering results for the American people,” her personal attorney, Nick Oberheiden, said in a statement.
“She is grateful for the opportunity to serve and remains committed to supporting the President’s agenda moving forward,” he added.
However, the investigation into her conduct allegedly found a stash of booze in Chavez-DeRemer’s office and learned that she took staff to an Oregon strip club.
Investigators were told that staff had to hide items on their boss’s schedule that might draw red flags from ethics officials.
Texts also showed Richard Chavez, the former secretary’s father, urged a young female staff member to keep private a conversation in which he texted he “could made some excuses to get out an show u around.”
Han, Wright, bodyguard Brian Sloan, and aide Melissa Robey all left the agency last month.
Chavez-DeRemer was expected to be interviewed soon as part of the investigation, according to The New York Times.
Allegations were also made that Dr. Shawn DeRemer, the official’s husband, had been banned from the Labor Department’s headquarters after female staff members claimed he made unwanted sexual advances at them.
It has been an honor and a privilege to serve in this historic Administration and work for the greatest President of my lifetime.
At the Department of Labor, I am proud that we made significant progress in advancing President Trump’s mission to bridge the gap between business…
— Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer (@SecretaryLCD) April 20, 2026
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve in this historic Administration and work for the greatest President of my lifetime,” Chavez-DeRemer posted on X.
“At the Department of Labor, I am proud that we made significant progress in advancing President Trump’s mission to bridge the gap between business and labor and always put the American worker first. We created new pathways to mortgage-paying jobs, prepared workers to excel in the age of AI, took steps to lower prescription drug costs, promoted retirement security, and so much more,” she said.
“Thinking back to my first job packing peaches in rural California, it taught me the value of hard work — a value that I have carried with me every single day in this job and throughout my time in public service. We live in the best country in the world, and I am incredibly grateful that I had this opportunity to meet workers across the nation, listen to their stories, and deliver wins for them and their families.”
Chavez-DeRemer is the third Cabinet member to depart the administration, following former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
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