President Donald Trump’s scandal-plagued Cabinet has been rocked by yet another departure.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer handed in her resignation on Monday, becoming the third female Trump Cabinet member to be forced out in the last seven weeks.
Chavez-DeRemer, 58, has been under investigation by her department’s internal watchdog over a laundry list of complaints and allegations of potential misconduct.
The allegations include claims that Chavez-DeRemer, a former Oregon congresswoman, drank on the job in her Washington, D.C., office and had an affair with one of her bodyguards.
Chavez-DeRemer’s senior aides, as well as her husband and father, had also come under investigation after they allegedly sent personal messages and made personal requests of young staff members in creepy texts, The New York Times reported last week.
In a statement following her ousting, Chavez-DeRemer said: “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve in this historic Administration and work for the greatest President of my lifetime.”
“Thinking back to my first job packing peaches in rural California, it taught me the value of hard work – a value that I have carried with me every single day in this job and throughout my time in public service. We live in the best country in the world, and I am incredibly grateful that I had this opportunity to meet workers across the nation, listen to their stories, and deliver wins for them and their families,“ she wrote. ”Thank you, President Trump. While my time serving in the Administration comes to a conclusion, it doesn’t mean I will stop fighting for American workers.”
In a separate statement on her personal X profile, she wrote: “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.”
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung confirmed Chavez-DeRemer’s departure, saying she will “take a position in the private sector” and that current deputy labor secretary, Keith Sonderling, will become acting secretary.
Sonderling, 43, later wrote on X: “Thank you to President Trump for the opportunity to serve as Acting Secretary of Labor. We will keep up the fight to put American workers first.”
The allegations of misconduct under Chavez-DeRemer’s tenure at the labor department are extensive and multifaceted.
In January, a complaint alleged that she had been “abusing her position” by engaging in a relationship with a subordinate, her bodyguard. Brian Sloan, a member of the secretary’s security detail, was temporarily suspended from his duties pending an investigation into the allegations. He eventually quit his position in March.
In February, the secretary’s husband of more than three decades, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, was banned from entering the Labor Department headquarters after being accused by two female staffers of inappropriate touching. DeRemer, 57, has denied all allegations.
Earlier this month, three staff members filed formal civil rights complaints against Chavez-DeRemer, accusing her of fostering a toxic workplace and retaliating against women who came forward with sexual misconduct allegations against her husband. The complainants also described fearing retaliation for pushing back against directives and alleged misuse of official resources.
It then emerged, in a report by the New York Times, that DeRemer and the labor secretary’s 81-year-old father, Richard Chavez, had reportedly texted young female labor department staff members, who were instructed by Chavez-DeRemer and her ex-deputy chief of staff, Rebecca Wright, to “pay attention” to the men.
One message, reportedly sent by Chavez to a young female staffer, read, “Hearing u/r in town. Wishing you would let me know. I could have made some excuses to get out and show u around. Please keep this private.”
The staff member replied, “Will do, no need to worry!” and apologized for not reaching out, assuring him that she would be back in Oregon soon.
“When are u leaving an where u staying,” Chavez reportedly texted. He has not been accused of wrongdoing.
Chavez-DeRemer and her aides have also been accused of drinking at work and keeping a stash of liquor in the office. In one text message seen by the Times, the secretary reportedly asked an employee to bring rosé to her hotel room.
Wright and Chavez-DeRemer’s former chief of staff, Jihun Han, were also accused of fabricating official events so Chavez-DeRemer could take taxpayer-funded trips in order to spend time with family or friends and provide “cover” for her alleged misdeeds. The two aides left their jobs in March amid the watchdog investigation.
Chavez-DeRemer’s departure comes after Trump fired Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary on March 5, and followed up by firing Attorney General Pam Bondi on April 2.
