Watchdog report alleges misconduct by Trump’s former labor secretary

A federal watchdog has laid out allegations of misconduct involving former US Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who resigned on April 20 after a short and turbulent tenure.

The Labor Department’s Office of Inspector General released a 44-page report on Thursday night. Investigators reviewed 500 documents and interviewed 53 current and former Labor Department employees, along with one employee from another federal agency. Thirty-eight interviewees described the secretary’s office as a “toxic, intimidating and humiliating” workplace.

The report accused Chavez-DeRemer of blurring the boundary between public office and private life. It said she used government employees for personal errands, drank alcohol in her office during working hours and developed an “inappropriate relationship” with a member of her security detail. A personal aide and an executive assistant were reportedly sent to her home to organise her closet, do laundry and arrange clothing and purses.

Investigators also alleged that senior staff routinely used threatening, demeaning and abusive language. Employees were reportedly berated in front of colleagues and threatened with termination. The report cited allegations involving chief of staff Rebecca Wright, who allegedly moved one employee’s desk so a “fat person” would not be seen in the front office and advised another employee not to cut her hair too short to avoid looking like a “lesbian”.

According to the report, Chavez-DeRemer knew about such incidents but failed to stop them. The former Republican congresswoman from Oregon was sworn in on March 11, 2025. Several senior staff members resigned during the final months of her tenure, including Melissa Robey, who media reports said was fired under White House pressure after meeting with the inspector general’s office. Chavez-DeRemer became the third cabinet secretary to leave President Donald Trump’s second administration, following Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi.

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toxic, intimidating and humiliating