Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer leaving amid investigation into alleged misconduct
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is exiting the Trump administration, White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung announced Monday.
"Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving the Administration to take a position in the private sector. She has done a phenomenal job in her role by protecting American workers, enacting fair labor practices, and helping Americans gain additional skills to improve their lives," Cheung wrote on X.
Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling will presume the role of acting Secretary of Labor, Cheung added.
Chavez-DeRemer is the third member of President Donald Trump's Cabinet to leave in a little more than a month, following former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Chavez-DeRemer's exit from the Department of Labor comes as the inspector general's report investigating her is poised to drop any day.
The former labor secretary was under investigation for alleged misconduct. She has been accused of having an affair with a member of security detail, who has reportedly been placed on administrative leave. A department internal watchdog is also investigating allegations of abusing her office, including allegedly taking her staff to a strip club and misusing official government travel.
Chavez-DeRemer has denied any wrongdoing. She took to social media on Monday to push back on the allegations against her, claiming that they are “peddled by high-ranked deep state actors” seeking to “undermine” the president’s agenda.
There are also accusations against her husband, Shawn DeRemer.
“The allegations against me, my family, and my team have been peddled by high-ranked deep state actors who have been coordinating with the one-sided news media and continue to undermine President Trump's mission,” she wrote on X.
The New York Times reported in February that Shawn DeRemer was banned from the Labor Department's headquarters after two women accused him of sexual assault, with one of the incidents reportedly recorded by a security camera late last year. DeRemer denied that the incident took place.
ABC News obtained a D.C. Metropolitan Police Department report that detailed a woman making a complaint of sexual contact against her will, allegedly occurring on Dec. 18 inside the Department of Labor. Police are investigating the incident, but no criminal charges have been filed.
Chavez-DeRemer, 58, was elected to represent Oregon's 5th District in 2022 but lost her re-election bid to Democrat Janelle Bynum in 2024. Before her election to Congress, she was mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon.
