Two top aides to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned as an inspector general investigation intensifies into alleged staff mistreatment and misuse of taxpayer funds, the New York Post reported Tuesday.
Chief of staff Jihun Han and deputy chief Rebecca Wright were given the option to resign or be fired by the White House on Monday night, about two months after Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D'Esposito launched a probe into allegations of creating a "toxic" workplace and misusing departmental resources for personal travel.
According to the New York Post, investigators gathered evidence that Han and Wright verbally abused staff and wasted taxpayer dollars by arranging official trips that allegedly doubled as personal travel for the secretary.
A complaint filed earlier this year accused the aides of "making up" official events in destinations where Chavez-DeRemer could visit family or travel for pleasure.
The investigation is part of a broader series of controversies surrounding the secretary. Chavez-DeRemer has faced allegations of drinking in her office during the workday, fostering a hostile environment, and engaging in an "inappropriate" relationship with a member of her security detail.
Her attorney, Nick Oberheiden, has said she "firmly denies any allegations of wrongdoing."
Han and Wright were placed on administrative leave in January, along with the security officer. Additional complaints have since alleged the aides attempted to interfere with the inspector general's probe and pressured junior staff.
Han allegedly instructed staff to "leave it alone" when questions arose about rumors of an affair involving the secretary, according to the outlet.
The IG investigation reportedly includes dozens of interviews and claims that Chavez-DeRemer kept alcohol in her office and took subordinates to a strip club while on an official trip in April 2025.
Allegations of travel-related misconduct were partially corroborated, according to the report, including a Palm Beach trip tied to an America First Policy Institute event where ethics officials warned certain expenses would need to be paid personally.
An "official" dinner for two was later scheduled during that trip, the complaint alleged.
Separately, Chavez-DeRemer's husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, an anesthesiologist, was accused in a January police report of "sexual contact against her will" involving a female Labor Department staffer inside department headquarters.
Federal authorities declined to pursue charges, and the case was closed. Dr. DeRemer has "categorically, unequivocally, and emphatically" denied the allegations, according to his attorney. He was barred from the department's main building following the complaint.
The White House has publicly stood by Chavez-DeRemer. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in January that President Donald Trump is aware of the internal investigation and believes the secretary is "doing a tremendous job."
Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, opened a separate inquiry in February, writing that the allegations, "if true, represent a serious breach of the public's trust."
Chavez-DeRemer's attorney has said she is "fully cooperating" with investigators. Neither Han nor Wright responded to requests for comment, the outlet noted.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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