by Kevin Killough
The Labor Department’s Office of Inspector General has concluded that Lori Chavez-DeRemer when she was the agency’s secretary had an “inappropriately close and unprofessional” relationship with her bodyguard, which created a hostile work environment for her subordinates.
The office released the 44-page report Thursday after having initiated the investigation from an anonymous complaint received in January. The complaint alleged that Chavez-DeRemer had the inappropriate relationship with the assistant special agent-in-charge of her agency’s Division of Protective Operations, according to Fox News.
The report, which did not name the agent, alleged that Chavez-DeRemer; her chief of staff, Jihun Han; and deputy chief of staff, Rebecca Wright, created a hostile work environment and regularly consumed alcohol on agency property during business hours.
In the course of the investigation, the OIG interviewed 38 witnesses who described the work environment at the DOL as “toxic, intimidating and humiliating.”
Chavez-DeRemer resigned in April. On social media after resigning, she said it was an “honor and a privilege to serve” in the Trump administration.
“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,” Chavez-DeRemer 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,” she added.
During a trip to Oregon in April, the special agent complied with Chavez-DeRemer’s request to make an unplanned, off-the-record stop at “an establishment that was determined upon entry to feature partially nude dancers,” according to the report. The agent told the driver assigned to Chavez-DeRemer’s to enter the establishment with her, and, according to the report, she gave the driver a cash and told him to give it to one of the dancers. When the driver refused, the special agent instructed him to comply, also according to Fox News.
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Kevin Killough is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
