Oregon — Former U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer violated department policies and federal ethical standards involving workplace harassment, travel, alcohol, government resources, gifts and an inappropriate relationship with a protective agent, according to a Department of Labor inspector general investigation released Thursday. Chavez-DeRemer previously served as the representative for Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District.
The 44-page report, dated September 3, said investigators interviewed 53 current and former Labor Department employees and one employee from another federal agency. Investigators also reviewed more than 500 documents, images and videos, including emails, personnel records, government-device contents, surveillance footage, attendance records and travel documents.
The investigation began January 6 after the Office of Inspector General received an anonymous hotline complaint concerning Chavez-DeRemer, Chief of Staff Jihun Han, Deputy Chief of Staff Rebecca Wright and an assistant special agent in charge assigned to the department’s Division of Protective Operations. The inquiry was later expanded following additional complaints involving the department’s director of advance.
Using a “preponderance of the evidence” standard, meaning investigators determined conduct was more likely than not to have occurred, the inspector general substantiated policy violations involving all five officials.
Chavez-DeRemer resigned April 20, one day before she was scheduled to be interviewed. Her attorney subsequently declined to make her available. Attorneys for Han, Wright and the protective agent also declined inspector general interview requests. The director of advance was interviewed with an attorney present.
All five officials had left federal service before the investigation was completed. Chavez-DeRemer and the protective agent resigned, while Han, Wright and the director of advance were terminated. The inspector general said their departures did not result from the report’s findings.
Become a Paid Subscriber for Exclusive Content Access and Support Independent News
Employees describe ‘toxic’ workplace
Thirty-eight witnesses “consistently described the OSEC work environment as toxic, intimidating and humiliating,” according to the report. Witnesses said Chavez-DeRemer, Han and Wright openly discussed employees’ performance problems in front of other staff, including whether employees had cried during disciplinary meetings.
Twenty-one witnesses described Wright as condescending and hostile toward personnel. Five called meetings conducted by Wright and Han “beatdowns,” during which employees were allegedly berated over perceived performance shortcomings.
At least three witnesses said Han threatened employees with termination and emphasized how easily he could remove them. Other witnesses said Wright maintained a list of approximately 15 to 20 employees she wanted removed, while three witnesses said Han kept his own running termination list.
One witness attributed to Wright a statement that Chavez-DeRemer’s personal assistant was responsible for providing the secretary with “lip gloss and make-up.” Witnesses also alleged Wright made disparaging statements about employees’ weight, appearance, sexual orientation and use of a department daycare center.
Following media coverage of the initial complaint, three witnesses said Chavez-DeRemer directed Han and Wright to identify employees suspected of providing information to reporters. Witnesses said Han and Wright told employees that speaking to the press could result in termination and investigated people they suspected of communicating with reporters or cooperating with the inspector general.
During one staff meeting, witnesses recalled Han saying he was not “going to tolerate this shit.”
The inspector general concluded that Chavez-DeRemer and the other four subjects failed to follow the department’s policy against harassing and hostile workplace conduct. The report found a recurring pattern of “demeaning or intimidating treatment of employees, concerns about retaliation, and reluctance among employees to raise concerns or challenge senior officials.”
However, investigators did not determine whether the behavior was severe or pervasive enough to constitute unlawful discrimination, retaliation or a hostile work environment under federal equal-employment law. The finding was limited to violations of internal Labor Department policies.
Relationship with protective agent examined
The inspector general interviewed 35 witnesses about the protective agent’s leadership, management and relationship with Chavez-DeRemer.
Eight witnesses said they observed Chavez-DeRemer and the agent exchanging frequent text messages during transportation and official events. Others described informal exchanges, private communications and physical familiarity they did not observe between Chavez-DeRemer and other agents.
The report said one witness saw Chavez-DeRemer massage the agent’s shoulders during travel in Michigan. Another group of witnesses saw the two leave an event walking arm-in-arm.
Investigators also examined hotel-access records, residential-access records and surveillance footage. They concluded Chavez-DeRemer and the agent “developed and maintained an inappropriately close and unprofessional relationship” while the agent exercised authority over her protective detail.
The report said the agent sometimes released or repositioned other agents, failed to communicate the secretary’s location and placed himself in situations in which he alone provided her protection. On one occasion, the agent allegedly remained alone with Chavez-DeRemer for approximately three hours without providing location or status updates.
The inspector general found that those actions reduced Chavez-DeRemer’s protective coverage and violated operational requirements. It also concluded that the relationship was inconsistent with federal standards requiring impartiality and prohibiting preferential treatment.
The report expressly stopped short of determining that the two had a romantic or sexual relationship, stating that investigators “did not obtain sufficient direct evidence” to support that conclusion.
Agent ordered to participate at adult establishment
The report also detailed an April 2025 stop at an Oregon establishment featuring partially nude dancers.
According to witness testimony, Chavez-DeRemer gave money to the protective-detail driver and directed him to give it to a performer. When the agent resisted, the assistant special agent in charge instructed him to comply.
Chavez-DeRemer then allegedly gave the driver additional money and asked him to drop the bills individually onto the performer. The driver again sought help from his supervisor but was instructed to follow the secretary’s request.
The inspector general concluded that Chavez-DeRemer and the supervising agent subjected the driver to unwelcome conduct and violated the department’s harassment policy.
Personal destinations included in official travel
Eleven witnesses said Wright added government engagements to itineraries for destinations Chavez-DeRemer intended to visit for personal reasons, allowing the travel to be financed by the Labor Department.
Witnesses identified at least 13 trips to destinations where Chavez-DeRemer had family members or residences, along with five trips to Las Vegas. Three career employees reportedly warned Chavez-DeRemer and Wright that combining personal and official travel could create regulatory problems. Those employees were subsequently removed from travel-planning duties.
Investigators highlighted a November 2025 trip to Palm Beach, Florida, for an America First Policy Institute gala. Chavez-DeRemer stayed three nights at a luxury hotel and spa charging $529 per night. Her total reimbursement for airfare, lodging, taxes, meals and incidental expenses was $2,092.63.
The travel had initially been classified as personal, according to the report, but was designated official after the government reopened and a single meeting between Chavez-DeRemer and Wright was added to the itinerary. Investigators found no documentation showing the required approval or mission-critical justification for the lodging expense.
The inspector general also questioned a December 2025 Las Vegas trip. According to the report, the original itinerary contained no Labor Department engagements. After Chavez-DeRemer and Wright received complimentary rodeo tickets from a lobbyist, an existing Western Caucus appearance assigned to another official was reassigned to Chavez-DeRemer, “apparently to provide an official business justification” for the trip.
The inspector general concluded that Chavez-DeRemer and Wright improperly combined personal and official travel in violation of department policy and federal travel regulations.
Alcohol stored and consumed in federal offices
Witnesses told investigators that Chavez-DeRemer, Han and Wright regularly drank alcohol in the secretary’s study during working hours. Employees who declined drinks were allegedly pressured to participate or ridiculed for abstaining.
Investigators directly observed alcohol bottles in offices and other spaces controlled by the three officials. They found no written authorizations permitting alcohol possession or consumption in the department’s Francis Perkins Building.
The inspector general concluded that all three violated department policy and federal property regulations by regularly storing and consuming alcohol on federal property without advance written approval.
Employees assigned personal errands
The report also found that Chavez-DeRemer repeatedly directed government employees to perform personal tasks during official working hours.
Investigators said Chavez-DeRemer directed her personal aide and executive assistant to use department transportation to travel to her residence and organize her bedroom closet. The employees hung laundry and dry cleaning, arranged clothing, shoes and purses, and sent Chavez-DeRemer a video documenting their work.
During the 2025 government shutdown, Chavez-DeRemer allegedly directed an employee to retrieve approximately eight packages from her residential mailroom. Other employees were instructed to purchase picture frames, holiday ornaments, gifts, alcohol and wine.
The report said a Hispanic federal employee was directed to translate for Spanish-speaking workers at Chavez-DeRemer’s residence, supervise movers and arrange services with her house cleaner.
Investigators concluded that these directions violated executive-branch ethical standards prohibiting officials from using subordinate employees’ government time for personal activities.
Gifts omitted from department records
Investigators identified at least five gifts received by or for Chavez-DeRemer that were missing from the Labor Department’s gift-tracking records. The items included a scarf, work boots, an alligator-hide wallet, baby gifts and cowboy hats.
The report also described rodeo tickets received from a lobbyist and valued at approximately $100 each. An alligator farm told investigators that the wallet it provided was worth approximately $200.
Federal regulations generally limit gifts from a single source to $20 per occasion and $50 annually, subject to certain exceptions. Gifts received for the labor secretary were also required to be submitted for ethics review and disposition.
The inspector general concluded that Chavez-DeRemer and the director of advance failed to comply with applicable gift-reporting requirements.
Inspector general recommends structural changes
The report recommended removing the Division of Protective Operations from the operational and political control of the Office of the Secretary and placing it under the inspector general.
It also called for recurring independent audits of senior officials’ travel, a department-wide policy governing personal relationships between supervisors and subordinates, annual training on workplace relationships, and stronger whistleblower and nondisclosure protections.
The inspector general said the report would be provided to the acting labor secretary “for such action as he deems appropriate.”
About the Author
Discover more from Right Now Oregon
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
