White House Works Hard to Cover Up Labor Dept Sex Scandal
The Department of Labor is the federal agency charged with enforcing workplace standards and setting the example for ethical conduct across America’s workforces. In the Trump administration, however, it is now engulfed in a widening ethics crisis.
Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer is under investigation over allegations of misconduct, fraud and an “alcohol stash” found in her office, while her husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, has been banned from the department’s headquarters following allegations that he sexually harassed at least one female employee. (Dr. DeRemer has called the allegations “false.”)
Chavez-DeRemer is, specifically, facing claims that she engaged in an improper relationship with a member of her security detail. Additionally, The New York Times reported that formal complaints were filed with the department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) alleging that her top aides “pressur[ed] staff to direct the awarding of department grants to benefit the secretary’s political career and elevate her standing with donors and consultants.” According to NBC News, the secretary’s chief of staff and his deputy allegedly engaged in “travel fraud” by setting up professional events as an excuse for personal travel. (These aides, Chief of Staff Jihun Han and Deputy Chief of Staff Rebecca Wright, were placed on leave in January and, per The New York Post, each resigned Monday night after being told by the White House to jump—or........
