Trump aides suspended as labor chief faces probe for day drinking, inappropriate relations

One of President Donald Trump's Cabinet officials is now in hot water over an investigation into alleged alcohol abuse on the job and relations with a subordinate. And on Monday, some of her staffers were put on leave.

That's according to an article in Bloomberg, which reported that two senior staffers in the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) have been suspended in the wake of a DOL inspector general investigation into Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Deremer. One of Bloomberg's sources anonymously confided to the outlet that Chavez-Deremer's chief of staff Jihun Han and deputy chief of staff Rebecca Wright have been officially put on leave.

The New York Post recently reported that DOL staffers were allegedly fabricating work trips on behalf of Chavez-Deremer so she could visit family and friends. The labor secretary reportedly had more than 50 official trips in 2025, visiting 37 states. Chavez-Deremer is also accused of drinking alcohol in her office, and for having an inappropriate relationship with an unnamed male subordinate.

According to the Post, Chavez-Deremer — who is married — has hosted the staffer at her Washington D.C. apartment on multiple occasions, and also invited them to her hotel room during work trips. The Post's sources also referred to the labor secretary as the "boss from hell," accusing her of ordering employees to run personal errands for Chavez-Deremer and perform other mundane tasks unrelated to their jobs.

Chavez-Deremer's alleged inappropriate relationship reportedly involved one episode in which she invited the subordinate to her Las Vegas hotel room, where she was staying to celebrate her niece's 40th birthday in October, when the federal government was shut down. The labor secretary reportedly dismissed her security detail before inviting the man over.

The Post also alleged that when Han asked Chavez-Deremer about a stash of alcohol she kept near her office desk, the labor secretary reportedly told her chief of staff to "leave it alone." The stash reportedly includes champagne, bourbon and Kahlua.

Trump administration spokespeople denied the report. White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers called the accusations "baseless," and insisted that Chavez-Deremer "is an incredible asset to President Trump’s team and she will continue advancing the President’s America First agenda."

"These unsubstantiated allegations are categorically false,” DOL spokesperson Courtney Parella told the Post. “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.”

Click here to read Bloomberg's article in its entirety, and click here to read the New York Post's report.