Labor Department Watchdog Finds Chavez-DeRemer Oversaw a 'Toxic' Office, Misused Travel Funds and Took Unreported Gifts

The Labor Department's Office of Inspector General released a report on September 3 finding that former Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer violated department policy on several fronts. Investigators interviewed 53 current and former employees, who described the Office of the Secretary as toxic, humiliating and intimidating, and found she was aware of abusive conduct by senior aides and failed to stop it. The report also found she directed subordinates to perform personal tasks on work time, maintained an inappropriately close relationship with a member of her security detail, and failed to report rodeo tickets from a lobbyist valued at about 100 dollars each.

The findings go to whether ethics rules bind senior political appointees. The inspector general, former Republican Congressman Anthony D'Esposito, stopped short of finding that Chavez-DeRemer or her staff broke federal law.

Chavez-DeRemer resigned in April, one day before she was scheduled to be interviewed, and was never interviewed. Her attorney said the report confirms she violated no laws. Her former deputy Keith Sonderling remains acting secretary.