Former labor secretary created ‘toxic’ atmosphere, drank at work and misused funds, report says

Key Points:

• Former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer was found by a Labor Department inspector general report to have violated multiple department policies, including creating a hostile work environment, misusing government funds for personal travel, and having an inappropriate relationship with an employee.
• The 44-page report, based on an investigation triggered by an anonymous complaint, described Chavez-DeRemer's leadership as "toxic, intimidating and humiliating," though it did not conclude whether her conduct legally constituted discrimination or retaliation.
• The report detailed an inappropriate relationship with a member of her security detail, including an incident involving an off-the-record stop at a venue with partially nude dancers and the secretary dropping money onto a dancer, but lacked evidence to confirm a romantic or sexual relationship.
• Additional violations included mixing personal and official travel, consuming and storing alcohol on federal property, accepting unreported gifts such as an alligator-hide wallet and cowboy hats, and directing employees to perform personal tasks during work hours.
• Chavez-DeRemer's attorney denied any legal wrongdoing, emphasizing her resignation in April was a personal decision, and highlighted her subsequent private sector activities; the Labor Department has not yet commented on the inspector general's findings.