Donald Trump’s labor secretary has been caught on camera at a workplace birthday bash she swore never happened.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, 57, was inducted into her role on March 11 last year, during the peak of DOGE slashing of government department budgets.
An explosive new report by The New York Times on an inspector general’s investigation into the department has unearthed claims of workplace bullying in her office, personal trips taken on the public purse and a birthday party disguised as a work event.
Among the allegations in the bombshell report is the birthday party that was rebranded into a belated swearing-in celebration last year.
When questioned about the self-indulgent event, on April 7, Chavez-DeRemer’s birthday event, Chavez-DeRemer told the House Appropriations Committee, “I did not have a birthday party.”
However a photo of the party obtained by the Times sees the Republican blowing out candles on her birthday cake as staffers look on.
Staffers drank wine and socialized, the Times noted, adding that the secretary blew out candles on a birthday cake. Multiple TVs at the event featured her face and guests sang “Happy Birthday” to her.
The investigation into Chavez-DeRemer was sparked by a complaint filed in January with the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.
She has also been accused of drinking during the day, keeping a stash of champagne, bourbon, and Kahlua in her office, and committing travel fraud.
That included a “America at Work” tour of the U.S. last year after she assumed her role in the department. Some of her aides believed her travel had been skewed to boost her own political profile and her calendar often showed only one or two brief events, leaving her free for the rest of the day for personal time.
Her chief of staff at the time, Jihun Han, threatened to bring criminal charges against department members who went public with internal behavior, according to ProPublica, citing a leaked memo. The Labor Department did not respond to a request for comment from the publication.
Han and Deputy Chief of Staff Rebecca Wright are now on leave during the internal investigation, The Times states.
The Daily Beast has contacted the current reps for Chavez-DeRemer for comment.
The investigation included over 24 current and former department staffers, who described a “toxic workplace”, called Chavez-DeRemer an “absentee secretary,” said aides were “hostile” and the employees were “deeply demoralized.”
Most remained anonymous fearing retribution over disclosing the information.
Helen Luryi, who left the department’s Women’s Bureau in April, told the Times that the crisis at the Department of Labor is a “crisis of leadership.”
“Over the past few weeks we’ve learned that not only is she not doing her job, she’s embroiling the department in scandal and possible criminal activity,” she said. “It’s frankly embarrassing.”
A spokeswoman for the Labor Department, Courtney Parella, told the Times, “The secretary remains focused on advancing the president’s America First agenda and carrying out the department’s mission to support American workers.”
Chavez-DeRemer married her husband, Shawn DeRemer, an anesthesiologist, in 1991, and the couple shares two children.
Labor Department’s inspector general Anthony D’Esposito, a former Republican congressman from New York who is leading the investigation, learned that at least two women have made claims against Dr. DeRemer for making unwanted physical advances on them, according to the Times.
They allegedly occurred at the Frances Perkins Building, the Department of Labor’s headquarters. Dr. DeRemer remains banned from the building.
The claims against Dr. DeRemer were referred to the Federal Protective Service, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, and which declined to bring a case.
A lawyer representing Dr. DeRemer called the accusations false after the Times reported the ban and investigation. The Washington police said the investigation ended as federal prosecutors found no evidence of a crime.
Chavez-DeRemer is also accused of hosting a subordinate in her Washington, D.C. apartment three times and twice in her hotel room while traveling, according to a report obtained by The New York Post in January.
That includes a stint at the Red Rocks Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas with her alleged paramour in October, while the Department of Labor was shut down.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers defended Chavez-DeRemer against the “baseless” allegation at the time, saying she is “an incredible asset to President Trump’s team and she will continue advancing the President’s America First agenda.”
Department of Labor spokesperson Courtney Parella also called the “unsubstantiated” allegations “categorically false” to the Post.
“Secretary Chavez-DeRemer has complied with all ethics rules and Department policies and remains fully engaged in carrying out the Department’s work,” she said.
“The Secretary is considering all possible avenues, including legal action, to fight these baseless accusations from anonymous sources.”
