Trump admin aides punished amid claims they helped Cabinet member have affair with staffer
Two top aides to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer were reportedly put on leave after a complaint said they helped their boss carry out an affair with a subordinate staffer.
On Monday, Bloomberg reported that Chief of Staff Jihun Han and Deputy Chief of Staff Rebecca Wright were told not to report to work. At the same time, the Labor Department inspector general was investigating the affair.
The New York Post revealed last week that Chavez-DeRemer, 57, had been accused of meeting with the staffer three times after dismissing her security detail. The secretary allegedly ordered Han and Wright to "make up" official trips to meet with her romantic partner.
The secretary was caught on video behaving inappropriately with her alleged lover during at least two trips to Las Vegas. One of the encounters was said to have occurred at Red Rocks Casino Resort and Spa during last year's government shutdown.
When contacted by the Post, Chavez-DeRemer's purported lover did not deny the affair.
"I got lawyers, so I'm not gonna talk to you. I have nothing to say," the subordinate said.
Other allegations in the complaint claimed Chavez-DeRemer had a "stash" of alcohol in her office. Post sources described her as "the boss from hell."
"These unsubstantiated allegations are categorically false," Labor Department spokesperson Courtney Parella asserted. "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. The Secretary is considering all possible avenues, including legal action, to fight these baseless accusations from anonymous sources."
Chavez-DeRemer's husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, claimed that there was "not an ounce of truth" in the allegations.