President Donald Trump’s outgoing labor secretary is blaming MAGA’s favorite boogeyman for her scandal-plagued year on the job.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned on Monday, making her the third female member of Trump’s Cabinet to leave in the last seven weeks, following an internal investigation at the Department of Labor into accusations that the secretary had fostered a toxic work environment and misused official resources.
Among the allegations were claims that Chavez-DeRemer had an affair with a bodyguard, drank on the job, and took her subordinates to a strip club during a work trip.
Despite her resignation, Chavez-DeRemer continues to deny any wrongdoing—and instead blames her downfall on the dreaded “deep state.”
“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,” Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement on X.com.
In that case, the supposed deep state was working overtime.
In January, a complaint was filed with the labor department’s Office of the Inspector General alleging that the secretary had “abused her position” by pursuing a relationship with a subordinate.
A member of her security detail, Brian Sloan, was temporarily suspended from his duties pending an investigation and eventually quit in March.
The complaint also accused Chavez-DeRemer of drinking during the day; keeping champagne, bourbon, and Kahlua in her office; and committing travel fraud by asking her staff to concoct official trips that allowed her to visit family and friends.
A New York Post report on the complaint also cited sources who called Chavez-DeRemer a “boss from hell” who forced aides to run personal errands and perform menial tasks for her.
Soon after, the New York Post reported that the investigation into the complaint had revealed a previously unreported incident in which Chavez-DeRemer allegedly took subordinates to an Oregon strip club called Angels PDX in April 2025 at the end of a five-day work trip.
Angels PDX bills itself as a club “for everyone,” and boasts a full bar and lottery machines. It also hosts a monthly Daisy Duke Contest, an amateur night where patrons can win cash for taking the stage.
According to travel vouchers filed for the trip, $2,890.06 in expenses was covered by taxpayers, including $1,324.21 for transportation, $722 for lodging, $655 for meals, and $188.35 for miscellaneous expenses.
Chavez-DeRemer’s lawyer told the New York Post in a statement that his client “firmly denies any allegations of wrongdoing,” while the White House released several statements saying it stood behind the labor secretary.
Then, 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 the allegations.
But earlier this month, three staff members filed formal civil rights complaints accusing Chavez-DeRemer of fostering a toxic workplace and retaliating against women who came forward with sexual misconduct allegations against her husband.
The complainants also described fear of retaliation for pushing back against directives, and alleged that Chavez-DeRemer had misused official resources.
Less than a week later, the New York Times reported that Chavez-DeRemer’s husband and 81-year-old father, Richard Chavez, had texted young female labor department staffers.
The women were instructed by the secretary and her ex-deputy chief of staff, Rebecca Wright, to “pay attention” to the men.
In a post announcing her resignation Monday, Chavez-DeRemer said it had been an “honor and a privilege to service in this historic Administration and work for the greatest President of my lifetime,” and that was “departing for the private sector.”
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung confirmed that Chavez-DeRemer was leaving “to take a job in the private sector.”
Trump used a similar line to describe former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s exit, which was announced on April 2, writing on Truth Social that Bondi was “transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector.”
The president also fired former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on March 5 and gave her the nebulous new job of Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas.
