US: Labor secretary faces probe, husband banned from HQ

In USA, the husband of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has been barred from entering the Department of Labor headquarters after at least two female staff members accused him of sexual assault, according to people familiar with the decision and a police report reviewed by The New York Times. The women alleged that Dr. Shawn DeRemer touched them inappropriately inside the Labor Department’s building on Constitution Avenue. One of the incidents reportedly occurred during working hours on the morning of December 18 and was captured on office security cameras. The footage allegedly showed Dr. DeRemer giving one of the women an extended embrace and was reviewed as part of a criminal investigation.
On January 24, Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department filed a report regarding forced sexual contact in December at the Labor Department. The department’s sexual assault unit is investigating. Following the women’s accounts to investigators, Dr. DeRemer was formally barred from entering the building. A building restriction notice stated that if he attempts to enter, he is to be asked to leave.Shawn DeRemer is a 57-year-old anesthesiologist based in Portland, Oregon. He frequently visited his wife’s Washington offices prior to the restriction. The allegations surfaced as part of a broader internal probe into alleged misconduct within the Labor Department.
The Labor Department’s inspector general is also investigating a formal complaint against Chavez-DeRemer. The complaint alleges she had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a subordinate who was part of her security detail and misused her office by taking staff to strip clubs, drinking alcohol on the job, and taking personal trips at taxpayer expense. Her lawyer has denied the allegations. The widening misconduct scandal has reportedly placed several aides and members of her security team on administrative and investigative leave.
President Donald Trump nominated Chavez-DeRemer as labor secretary in late 2024, and she was confirmed in March last year. She previously served as a Republican congresswoman from Oregon.