SEPTEMBER 5, 2026
Labor Department Inspector General finds former Secretary Chavez-DeRemer had inappropriate relationship with bodyguard and created hostile work environment
The Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General released a report on Thursday finding that former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer developed an "inappropriately close and unprofessional relationship" with the assistant special agent-in-charge of her security detail and contributed to a hostile work environment. The investigation began after the OIG received an anonymous complaint in January and included interviews with dozens of current and former Labor Department employees. Chavez-DeRemer resigned in April, one day before she was scheduled to be interviewed by investigators.
The Labor Department's Office of Inspector General, led by former Republican Congressman Anthony D'Esposito, opened its investigation following an anonymous complaint alleging misconduct by Chavez-DeRemer and two senior aides — chief of staff Jihun Han and deputy chief of staff Rebecca Wright. The report concluded that investigators found merit in all of the original complaints, as well as additional concerns that emerged during the inquiry.
Investigators interviewed between 38 and 53 current and former department employees — Fox News reported 38 witnesses, while NPR cited 53 — who described the Office of the Secretary as a "toxic, intimidating and humiliating" environment. Witnesses said Han and Wright engaged in "threatening, demeaning, and abusive" communication with staff, including comments about employees' physical appearance and hygiene. NPR's coverage detailed specific allegations: one witness recalled Wright advising an employee not to cut her hair above her shoulders to avoid "turning into a lesbian," and another described Wright relocating a staff member's desk because she did not want a "fat person" visible in the front office. The report found Chavez-DeRemer was "seemingly aware of this behavior and failed to take action to stop it."
Regarding the relationship with the assistant special agent-in-charge, identified in the report as ASAIC 1, the OIG obtained electronic hotel door lock records and surveillance footage from her Washington, D.C., residence, where the ASAIC was observed entering through a back door on multiple occasions. The report stated the evidence did not prove a romantic or sexual relationship, but established that the relationship was "inappropriately close." During an April trip to Oregon, Chavez-DeRemer visited an establishment featuring partially nude dancers. She directed her driver to distribute cash to a performer; when he hesitated, ASAIC 1 instructed him to comply. The report noted the ASAIC's focus on Chavez-DeRemer reduced protective coverage and that he broke chain-of-command protocol by attending meetings without his superior's knowledge. The ASAIC resigned in March after being placed on paid and then unpaid leave.