WASHINGTON — Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s top aides were placed on administrative leave amid an internal investigation into their involvement in the alleged fraudulent use of official travel for personal trips.
Department of Labor (DOL) Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito placed the secretary’s chief of staff Jihun Han and deputy chief of staff Rebecca Wright on leave, according to sources, following The Post’s bombshell report exposing the probe.
Sources noted that both Han and Wright were removed because of the power they wielded over junior staff amid the investigation. Politico first reported on the move.
Chavez-DeRemer, 57, was accused in a complaint filed with the DOL’s Office of Inspector General in December of committing “travel fraud” by having the two aides “make up” official trips to locations where the secretary can spend personal time or visit with family and friends.
Those favored destinations included Oregon, where she hails from and first ran for Congress in 2022; Arizona, where she and her husband have a home; Michigan, where her daughter resides; and Las Vegas, which she flew to at least four times in 2025, according to the complaint and travel schedules.
Of her more than 50 official trips outside DC as labor secretary in 2025, at least 10 were to one of those spots, per travel schedules.
Chavez-DeRemer had set a goal the month after her confirmation to visit all 50 US states. She ended up doing official events in at least 36.
One personal trip not on her schedules was to celebrate her niece’s 40th birthday party at the Red Rocks Casino Resort and Spa in late October — while the government was shut down and federal employees weren’t receiving paychecks in October, photos and videos show.
Chavez-DeRemer was also accused in the complaint of “abusing her position” by pursuing an “inappropriate” relationship with a subordinate who was welcomed into her DC apartment as well as hotel room during trips last year, per sources and documents.
The subordinate has since been sidelined from regular duties since the IG investigation kicked off, sources added, after previously declining to comment on the allegations and stating that he had lawyers, whose contact information he did not provide.
“There’s not an ounce of truth to this, and anyone who knows my wife would know that,” also said the secretary’s husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, in a statement.
The complaint also claimed Chavez-DeRemer frequently drinks during the workday in her office — with “a stash” of champagne, bourbon and Kahlua close at hand.
While flying around the US, the secretary will often meet with stakeholders or speak for no more than an hour — before she “goes out drinking at night” on the taxpayer dole, according to the complaint.
Han and Wright were “involved and have knowledge” of all the allegations, the complaint alleged. Neither aide responded to a request for comment.
“It is the policy of the Department of Labor not to comment on personnel matters,” a spokesperson said. A rep for the DOL OIG declined to comment.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a Friday statement that the allegations in the complaint were “baseless.” DOL spokesperson Courtney Parella also called them “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,” Parella said.
Chavez-DeRemer has not responded to a request for comment.
