Watchdog report details misconduct allegations against Trump's former labor secretary

A US federal watchdog has released a 44-page report alleging that former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer engaged in a range of misconduct during her tenure, including the misuse of government staff for personal tasks and behaviour that blurred the boundaries between her official and private life.

Chavez-DeRemer resigned on April 20 after serving as Labor secretary for just over a year. She was sworn into the position on March 11, 2025, becoming the third Cabinet secretary to depart President Donald Trump's second administration, following Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General said its investigation examined about 500 documents and included interviews with 53 current and former department employees, along with an employee from another federal agency.

According to the report, 38 people interviewed described the secretary's office as a "toxic, intimidating and humiliating" workplace.

Investigators alleged that senior officials routinely used threatening, degrading and abusive language towards employees, with some workers reportedly being humiliated in front of colleagues or threatened with dismissal.

The report also raised allegations involving Chavez-DeRemer's chief of staff, Rebecca Wright. Investigators said Wright allegedly moved an employee's desk because she did not want a "fat person" visible in the front office. Another employee was reportedly advised against cutting her hair too short because she might appear to be a lesbian.

The watchdog said Chavez-DeRemer was aware of some of the alleged conduct but failed to intervene.

Investigators also accused the former secretary of directing Labor Department employees to carry out personal errands during government working hours.

A personal aide and executive assistant were allegedly sent to Chavez-DeRemer's home to organise her wardrobe, hang laundry and arrange clothing and handbags. Another employee was reportedly assigned to supervise workers at her residence, including a moving company.

Employees were also allegedly instructed to purchase personal items such as gifts, picture frames, Christmas decorations and alcohol.

The report further said Chavez-DeRemer, Wright and the deputy chief of staff regularly consumed alcohol in the secretary's office during working hours. Some employees reportedly felt pressured or mocked when they declined to join them.

Federal Labor Department rules require advance written approval for alcohol to be consumed on government property. Investigators said they found no evidence that the required authorisation had been obtained.

The watchdog also investigated Chavez-DeRemer's relationship with a senior agent assigned to her protective detail.

Investigators described the relationship as "inappropriately close and unprofessional", citing witness accounts that the pair were seen golfing and gambling together, with Chavez-DeRemer reportedly massaging the agent's shoulder and leaving an event while walking arm-in-arm with him.

The investigation did not find sufficient evidence to establish that the relationship was sexual. However, it concluded that their conduct created potential conflicts of interest and inappropriate workplace circumstances.

One incident cited in the report occurred during a personal trip to Oregon in April 2025. Chavez-DeRemer allegedly asked her security detail to make an unofficial stop at a club featuring partially nude dancers. The senior agent was reportedly present and instructed a limousine driver to comply after the driver objected to Chavez-DeRemer's request to throw money at a performer.

Investigators also examined hotel door-access records and surveillance footage, which they said indicated the secretary and the agent spent time in each other's hotel rooms overnight and that the agent visited Chavez-DeRemer's home.

The report identified other alleged ethics and travel violations.

In November 2025, Chavez-DeRemer and two other officials reportedly stayed at hotels in Palm Beach, Florida, while attending an America First Policy Institute gala. Their accommodation costs were close to, or more than, three times the government reimbursement limit, while investigators found no documentation showing that the necessary approval for the additional expense had been granted.

The watchdog also said Chavez-DeRemer failed to disclose several gifts, including rodeo tickets, an alligator-hide wallet and cowboy hats given to her and her husband.

Federal ethics rules require officials to report certain gifts received in connection with their government duties to help prevent conflicts of interest.

The report recommended a series of changes at the Labor Department, including removing protective security units from the secretary's direct oversight and placing them under the inspector general's office.

It also called for independent audits of official travel, stronger protections for whistleblowers and mandatory annual ethics training for senior government leaders.

Chavez-DeRemer, a former Republican member of Congress from Oregon, left office after a tenure marked by the departure of several senior staff members. One former aide, Melissa Robey, previously alleged in media reports that she was dismissed under pressure from the White House after cooperating with the inspector general's investigation.

The watchdog's findings outline a broad range of alleged workplace, ethics and management problems during Chavez-DeRemer's time at the Labor Department.