Investigation into Trump's former Labor Secretary's 'toxic' workplace details crying employees and payments to 'nude dancers'

Former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer had an inappropriate narration pinch a personnel of her information detail, pressured subordinates to drink, and relied connected her unit to do everything from organizing laundry to translating her instructions to a moving crew.

Those are the findings of a bombshell investigation into Chavez-DeRemer, a Trump Cabinet personnel whose information was greeted pinch first enthusiasm from immoderate Senate Democrats but whose tenure yet ended successful a unreality of scandal.

The Labor Department's inspector general, Anthony D'Esposito, wrote successful a 44-page study that 38 witnesses described to investigators an agency that was "toxic, intimidating and humiliating."

Chavez-DeRemer's lawyer did not respond to Business Insider's petition for comment. In a connection to NBC News, he said that she had not surgery the law.

"Secretary Chavez-DeRemer did not break immoderate law," Nick Oberheiden, the erstwhile secretary's attorney, said successful a connection to the outlet. "That's important to constituent retired and opposition to the premature and incorrect speculation of some. Beyond this, Ms. Chavez-DeRemer has successfully pursued caller projects arsenic a backstage citizen."

Here are immoderate of the report's biggest findings.

A "toxic culture"

Two of Chavez-DeRemer's apical aides, main of unit Jihun Han and Office of the Secretary lawman main of unit Rebecca Wright, violated section argumentation by routinely engaging successful "threatening, demeaning, and abusive verbal and written communication," according to the report.

The watchdog concluded that the caput "was seemingly alert of this behaviour and grounded to return action to extremity this behavior."

In immoderate instances, the study says Chavez-DeRemer herself engaged successful the behavior.

"Witnesses stated that Chavez-DeRemer, Han, and Wright openly discussed worker capacity matters successful the beingness of different staff, including specifications of performance-related meetings and whether those labor had cried during the meetings," the study reads.

In usurpation of section policy, the study said that the trio regularly consumed intoxicant during activity hours and pressured different workers to subordinate them.

"Witnesses reported that erstwhile different labor attending these meetings declined alcohol, Chavez-DeRemer, Han, and Wright pressured them to participate aliases bullied them for abstaining," the study says.

Han and Wright were later terminated.

Chavez-DeRemer had an "inappropriate relationship"

Before she resigned successful April, Chavez-DeRemer faced aggregate reports that said she had a narration pinch a personnel of her information detail

D'Esposito wrote that the nonstop grounds his squad reviewed did not sufficiently found that the brace "engaged successful a romanticist aliases intersexual relationship."

That being said, the inspector wide goes into item astir the grounds he uncovered, down to edifice door-lock records and video of the agent, who the study does not name, entering Chavez-DeRemer's building.

D'Esposito wrote that successful 2 instances during trips to Las Vegas, the doorway fastener records "reflected activity that appeared to bespeak the 2 subjects spending astatine slightest portions overnight successful the other's room."

The supplier successful mobility yet resigned.

Chavez-DeRemer pressured a information supplier to springiness money to a nude dancer

During backstage recreation backmost location successful Oregon, the study said Chavez-DeRemer asked her information item to return an unscheduled travel to what appears to beryllium a portion club. The study describes it arsenic "an constitution that was wished upon introduction to characteristic partially nude dancers."

The study states that Chavez-DeRemer entered the constitution pinch the supplier she was having an inappropriate narration pinch and different personnel of the information detail.

According to the report, Chavez-DeRemer asked the driver to springiness money to 1 of the performers. Unsure of what to do, the driver asked the supplier who the caput was having an inappropriate narration pinch for guidance.

"Chavez-DeRemer past took further money from her purse and asked the supplier to driblet the bills 1 by 1 onto the partially nude woman," the study says.

Chavez-DeRemer relied connected her unit for individual errands

Despite section argumentation to the contrary, the study includes aggregate instances successful which the caput asked staffers to thief her pinch individual errands during activity hours.

"These tasks were extracurricular the scope of these employee's charismatic duties and included having labor shape Chavez-DeRemer's individual belongings, retrieve her packages, make individual purchases for her, oversee her movers, and pass pinch family work providers during charismatic work time," the study states.

On 1 occasion, Chavez-DeRemer directed a staffer to "hang her laundry and barren cleaning and shape her clothing, shoes, and purses." Investigators obtained grounds of what happened because the staffer provided a video to the caput showing her the occupation was done.

During the 2025 authorities shutdown, the study says Chavez-DeRemer asked an worker to retrieve packages from the mailroom of her residence.

Chavez-DeRemer besides asked labor to bargain "picture frames, vacation ornaments, gifts, and alcohol" connected her behalf.

A Hispanic national employee, the study states, was asked to "translate during interactions pinch Spanish-speaking workers astatine her individual residence."

You tin publication the study successful afloat here.