Multiple Labor Department staffers are on leave amid internal probe into Secretary Chavez-DeRemer
WASHINGTON — Multiple employees at the Department of Labor have been placed on leave pending an inspector general’s investigation into alleged misconduct by Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, according to two people familiar with the matter.
At least one additional staffer has been temporarily relieved of their duties after two longtime aides were placed on administrative leave earlier this week in connection with the probe, the sources said.
The inspector general is investigating whether Chavez-Remer’s chief of staff, Jihun Han, and his deputy, Rebecca Wright, engaged in “travel fraud” by setting up professional events for their boss as an excuse for personal travel, these people said.
A spokesperson for the Labor Department’s inspector general told NBC News that the office’s policy is “to neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of any O.I.G. investigation or complaint beyond what is published on our website. D.O.L. O.I.G. remains committed to rooting out fraud, waste, abuse and corruption through objective, independent oversight of the U.S. Department of Labor.”
The New York Post was first to report that a formal complaint had been filed against Chavez-DeRemer, which also alleges that she pursued an “inappropriate” relationship with a subordinate. Both sources confirmed the details of that complaint and the resulting IG investigation to NBC News.
A Labor Department spokesperson said they “will not comment on internal or personnel matters,” adding: “The Secretary remains focused on carrying out the Department’s mission and supporting American workers.”
The White House referred NBC News to press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s statement Thursday that Trump is aware of the probe and “stands by the secretary.” But she couldn’t confirm whether the president had spoken to Chavez-DeRemer about the investigation.
“He thinks that she’s doing a tremendous job at the Department of Labor on behalf of American workers,” Leavitt said in a press briefing Thursday.
The 57-year-old former Oregon congresswoman served one term, from 2023 to 2025. Both Han and Wright worked for Chavez-Demer when she was in Congress. Han did not immediately reply to a request for comment and contact information for Wright could not be located.
The inspector general handling the probe for the Department of Labor is Anthony D’Esposito, who started on the job just last week. D’Esposito, a former Republican congressman, was Chavez-DeRemer’s colleague in the House; he represented New York’s 4th Congressional District from 2023 to 2025.
Chavez-DeRemer was confirmed by the Senate in March on a 67-32 vote.
As Trump reaches the one-year mark of his second term, he has boasted about the strength of his Cabinet and dismissed any concerns about a major shake-up.
“I have good people,” Trump said earlier this month, praising his top officials in comparison to the rockier departures that marked his last term. “I like them better than my first group.”
