Former Trump Cabinet official had ‘inappropriately close’ relationship with bodyguard, IG finds

Former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer allegedly had an inappropriate relationship with her bodyguard and created a hostile work environment for her subordinates, according to a Thursday report from the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

The report cites one incident in which Chavez-DeRemer allegedly ordered a member of her security detail to throw cash at a stripper.

Chavez-DeRemer, who resigned her position in April, had been under investigation after the OIG received an anonymous complaint in January. That complaint alleged Chavez-DeRemer’s inappropriate relationship with the Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge (ASAIC) of her department’s Division of Protective Operations (DPO), who the report did not name.

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The complaint also alleged that Chavez-DeRemer, her chief of staff, Jihun Han, and deputy chief of staff, Rebecca Wright, created a hostile work environment and regularly drank alcohol on DOL property and during work hours.

The OIG interviewed 38 witnesses who described the DOL work environment as “toxic, intimidating and humiliating.” The witnesses reported that Chavez-DeRemer, Han and Wright “openly discussed employee performance matters in the presence of other staff, including details of performance-related meetings and whether those employees had cried during the meetings.”

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Witnesses also told the OIG that Chavez-DeRemer’s alleged relationship with the ASAIC also contributed to the hostile work environment.

In an April trip to Oregon, the ASAIC complied with Chavez-DeRemer’s request to make an unplanned, off-the-record stop at “an establishment that was determined upon entry to feature partially nude dancers,” according to the report.

The ASAIC assigned Chavez-DeRemer’s driver to enter the establishment with her, and, according to the report, she handed the driver a stack of cash and instructed him to give it to one of the dancers. When the driver refused, the ASAIC instructed him to comply.

“Chavez-DeRemer then took additional money from her purse and asked the agent to drop the bills one by one onto the partially nude woman. The agent again hesitated and sought intervention from ASAIC 1, who told him to follow Chavez-DeRemer’s instructions,” according to the report.

The complaint and subsequent investigation also determined that the ASAIC’s alleged inappropriate relationship with the former labor secretary, who is married, affected his job performance.

“ASAIC 1 allegedly focused on his interactions with Chavez-DeRemer, monitored her interactions with other agents, and reduced the presence of other DPO personnel to create opportunities to be alone with her, resulting in reduced protective coverage for the Secretary,” the report read.

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The pair reportedly grew immediately close upon Chavez-DeRemer’s arrival at the department in March 2025, communicating often through the encrypted messaging app Signal in off-duty hours and about non-operational subjects.

Another witness described observing Chavez-DeRemer massaging the ASAIC’s shoulders in a car after he had finished a driving shift. When she asked if he was tired, he allegedly responded that he was “solid as a rock,” and the pair both laughed.

“The witness interpreted the comment as sexual innuendo,” the report read.

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Other witnesses described the pair walking arm in arm after leaving an event at Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ home. After opening the investigation, the OIG surveilled Chavez-Deremer’s Washington, D.C., home and found the ASAIC entering her residence through a back door on repeated occasions.

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After reports that the ASAIC was breaking chain-of-command protocol by attending meetings with Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff and deputy chief of staff without his Special Agent in Charge’s (SAIC) knowledge, the SAIC recommended he take a leave of absence. However, the SAIC did not escalate beyond this recommendation for fear she herself would be terminated.

“ASAIC 1 declined the suggestion to take leave and agreed that the SAIC taking action to limit his travel with Chavez-DeRemer could result in the SAIC’s removal,” the report read.

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When the SAIC told ASAIC in a text message that she would reassign him to another team he replied, “lol. Don’t do that.”

The ASAIC was put on paid administrative leave in January and then on unpaid investigative leave in February. He resigned in March, according to the report.

Fox News Digital contacted the Department of Labor, the department’s OIG and the White House for additional comment.