Donald Trump‘s Secretary of Labor is being investigated after allegedly taking staffers to a strip club on an official trip as multiple employees are placed on leave.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, 57, was one of the president’s most popular Cabinet picks to start his second term, confirmed by the Senate with significant support from Republicans and Democrats.
However, she now faces an internal complaint with the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General for both unprofessional conduct and using her position to be a ‘boss from Hell,’ The New York Post reported.
Beyond the supposed inappropriate romance, Chavez-DeRemer’s top staffers are accused of ‘travel fraud,’ creating made up business trips using taxpayer funds to travel to be with family and friends.
The bombshell complaint led to interviews across the department, with multiple employees being placed on leave pending the investigation. At least one additional staffer and two aides have been placed on temporary leave amid the investigation, sources told NBC News.
Yet, interviews uncovered another unreported incident alleging that Chavez-DeRemer took subordinates to a strip club in Oregon in April, according to documents reviewed by the Post.
The alleged trip on April 18 to the club Angels PDX took place at the end of a five-day trip intended for a meeting with the state’s Democratic governor Tina Kotek, a CEO of a truck manfuacturer and a tour of an Intel chip center, the outlet reported.
According to documents seen by the Post, a total of $2,890.06 of taxpayers money was used for the trip to Oregon.
Donald Trump’s Secretary of Labor (left) is being investigated over an alleged trip to a strip club with staffers, an ‘inappropriate’ relationship with an employee and having a ‘stash’ of alcohol in her DC office
Lori Chavez-DeRemer (pictured with husband Dr. Shawn DeRemer) faces an internal complaint with the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General for both unprofessional conduct and using her position to be a ‘boss from Hell’
Chavez-DeRemer has also been accused of drinking on the job in government offices, all accusations a White House spokesperson called ‘baseless.’
‘Secretary Chavez-DeRemer is an incredible asset to President Trump’s team and she will continue advancing the President’s America First agenda,’ Taylor Rogers told the Post.
Chavex-DeRemer’s lawyer told the Post in a statement: ‘Secretary Chavez-DeRemer firmly denies any allegations of wrongdoing. Her utmost priority remains to advance President Trump’s agenda by continuing her hard and successful work for the betterment of the American people.’
The list of accusations against Chavez-DeRemer includes at least three meetings with her employee and alleged partner in September and October while either waiting for her security team to leave or after Chavez-DeRemer told the security team they weren’t needed.
They’re also alleged to have traveled to the ritzy Red Rocks Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas during the government shutdown for Chavez-DeRemer’s niece’s birthday.
The complaint also cites two other trips to Las Vegas during her first year in office in which video allegedly captures them behaving unprofessionally.
She’s accused of making ten of her 50 official trips in office to either Nevada, her home state of Oregon, her daughter’s residence in Michigan or her adopted home of Arizona where she and her husband have a home, including three of her five trips in November.
It also accuses Chavez-DeRemer of maintaining ‘a stash’ of bourbon, Kahlua and champagne at her office in Washington.
Chavez-DeRemer, 57, was one of the president’s most popular Cabinet picks to start his second term, confirmed by the Senate with significant support from Republicans and Democrats
She is accused of using her government trips to give a brief speech before she ‘goes out drinking at night’ using government money.
Chavez-DeRemer also allegedly made her aides run personal and other odd jobs while working for her.
The official complaint also lists Chavez-Deremer’s Chief of Staff Jihun Han and Deputy Chief of Staff Rebecca Wright, according to the Post.
They’re accused of being ‘involved’ and having ‘knowledge of these issues.’
Chavez-DeRemer’s team has fiercely stood by her, with her husband of over 40 years Dr. Shawn DeRemer flatly denying any impropriety.
‘There’s not an ounce of truth to this, and anyone who knows my wife would know that,’ said DeRemer, with whom the secretary has two children.
Rogers accused The New York Post of ‘journalistic malpractice.’
‘The New York Post was unable to provide any evidence to corroborate these baseless claims in this “report” supposedly filed by a FORMER disgruntled employee.’
Chavez-DeRemer and the staffer are alleged to have traveled to the ritzy Red Rocks Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas during the government shutdown for Chavez-DeRemer’s niece’s birthday
‘Additionally, they were unable to present any evidence that this ‘report’ was ever even filed.’
A spokesperson for the Department of Labor also slammed the allegations.
‘These unsubstantiated allegations are categorically false. Secretary Chavez-DeRemer has complied with all ethics rules and Department policies and remains fully engaged in carrying out the Department’s work on behalf of this historic Administration,’ Courtney Parella told The Post.
‘The Secretary is considering all possible avenues, including legal action, to fight these baseless accusations from anonymous sources.’
The Office of the Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito declined comment to the Post.
‘It is the policy of the DOL OIG to neither confirm nor deny the existence or non-existence of any OIG investigation or complaint beyond what is published on our website,’ they said.
‘DOL OIG remains committed to rooting out fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption through objective, independent oversight of the U.S. Department of Labor.’
The alleged subordinate Chavez-DeRemer was accused of romancing, whom the Post did not name, refused to comment when confronted.
The official complaint also lists Chavez-Deremer’s Chief of Staff Jihun Han (pictured left) and Deputy Chief of Staff Rebecca Wright (pictured right)
Chavez-DeRemer’s team has fiercely stood by her, with her husband of over 40 years Dr. DeRemer flatly denying any impropriety
‘I got lawyers, so I’m not gonna talk to you. I have nothing to say,’ they told the Post.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House, the Department of Labor, Chavex-DeRemer’s Office and the Office of the Inspector General for further comment.
In March, Senators voted 67 to 32 with 17 Democrats joining their colleagues to confirm former GOP Rep. Chavez-DeRemer for the position.
Despite being one of the president’s final top officials to be Senate confirmed, Chavez-DeRemer had already attended Cabinet meetings at the White House and sat with his other top officials at his address to a joint session of Congress.
She overcame a key hurdle with a procedural vote in the full Senate last week with bipartisan support, but her path to becoming labor secretary was not entirely smooth sailing.
The former congresswoman’s nomination was a nod from the president to union workers whom he made inroads with on the 2024 campaign trail.
But during her confirmation process, the former Oregon congresswoman backed away from her prior support for the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act she once championed as she looked to shore up support from business friendly Republicans.
In the end, three Republican senators, Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul and Ted Budd, voted against her confirmation.
In March, Senators voted 67 to 32 with 17 Democrats joining their colleagues to confirm former GOP Rep. Chavez-DeRemer for the position
She previously served as mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon just outside Portland and on the city council
McConnell noted her past stance on unions in a statement after voting against her.
Her confirmation hearing also faced delays before it was finally held last month.
Chavez-DeRemer appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee where she faced a tough grilling from senators on February 19.
Committee chair Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) expressed during the hearing that there were some in the business community who were concerned about her co-sponsoring the PRO Act.
When he asked if she supported the law, she sidestepped, claiming it was Congress that should pass the laws.
Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) also pressed her over her past support for the legislation.
She told him she no longer supported the part of the legislation that would overturn state Right to Work laws.
Democrats questioned her over how she would respond to Trump or Elon Musk and his DOGE team should they seek data from the department.
During that line of questioning, she vowed to protect Labor Department information but also noted she had not yet been confirmed or spoken about it to the president about it.
On the federal minimum wage remaining at $7.25 an hour, Chavez-DeRemer acknowledged it has not been raised since 2009 while the cost of living has soared, but she said raising the wage was a decision for Congress.
Chavez-DeRemer represented Oregon’s 5th District for one term in Congress from 2023 to 2025 after flipping the blue district. But she lost her reelection bid in a close race in November 2024.
She previously served as mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon just outside Portland and on the city council.
