Two top aides to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer have been placed on administrative leave after the Department of Labor’s Inspector General launched an investigation into a complaint about her conduct.
Chavez-DeRemer’s Chief of Staff Jihun Han and Deputy Chief of Staff Rebecca Wright were placed on temporary leave Monday, a step that does not imply any wrongdoing on their part.
The development comes after The New York Post reported Friday that a formal complaint had been lodged against the secretary with her department’s inspector, Anthony D’Esposito, where she was accused of abusing her powers, drinking in her office and having an extramarital affair with a subordinate.
The complaint alleges that Han and Wright were “involved and have knowledge of these issues,” according to the Post, and were allegedly tasked by Chavez-DeRemer with inventing work trips for her to go on where she could also spend time with friends and family, which it characterizes as “travel fraud.”
A Department of Labor spokesperson told The Independent: “It is the policy of the Department of Labor not to comment on personnel matters.” The Independent has also reached out to the White House for comment.
The affair allegations made against her in the complaint reportedly concern meet-ups in hotels and at her D.C. apartment. At one of the meet-ups, she allegedly told her security detail she didn’t need protection.
According to the Post, Chavez-DeRemer and the staffer traveled to a Las Vegas casino in late October to celebrate her niece’s 40th birthday while the government was shut down. The complaint also noted that video footage from the hotel showed the staffer and the secretary engaging in “unprofessional behavior” on at least two Vegas trips last year.
The staffer in the alleged encounters refused to speak to the Post: “I got lawyers, so I’m not gonna talk to you. I have nothing to say.”
The secretary’s husband, Dr Shawn DeRemer, has denied that his wife is unfaithful, however, telling the Post in a statement: “There’s not an ounce of truth to this, and anyone who knows my wife would know that.”
When allegations of the affairs started to surface in her office, Chavez-DeRemer allegedly told Han to ‘leave it alone,” according to the complaint filed with the inspector general and reported by the Post.
The complaint also accused her of drinking in the office and keeping a stash of alcohol there, the Post noted.
Allegations made to the inspector general also accused her of being a “boss from hell,” according to the Post. That included forcing aides to run errands or perform other menial tasks while at work.
In 2025, taxpayers spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for the secretary to visit 37 of the 50 states in her first year in the role, with only the fall’s record-breaking government shutdown preventing her from achieving her stated goal of touring all 50.
However, at least 10 of those trips were to states where she has personal ties, according to the Post. The complaint alleged that while on official trips, Chavez-DeRemer would speak for no more than an hour, then would do “personal stuff” and go out drinking, according to the complaint.
Departmental spokesperson Courtney Parella has also defended the secretary by saying in a statement: “These unsubstantiated allegations are categorically false.
“Secretary Chavez-DeRemer has complied with all ethics rules and department policies and remains fully engaged in carrying out the department’s work on behalf of this historic administration.
“The secretary is considering all possible avenues, including legal action, to fight these baseless accusations from anonymous sources.”
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers likewise called the allegations “baseless,” commenting: “Secretary Chavez-DeRemer is an incredible asset to President Trump’s team and she will continue advancing the President’s America First agenda.”
The Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General said it could “neither confirm or deny the existence or nonexistence” of any investigation or complaint “beyond what is published on our website” but said it “remains committed to rooting out fraud, waste, abuse and corruption through objective.”
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