Nytimes nytimes: Labor secretary’s husband barred from department premises after allegations
A nytimes account details that the husband of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has been barred from the department’s Washington headquarters after at least two female staff members said he touched them inappropriately at the agency. The move follows a police report filed about forced sexual contact in December and security-camera footage that was reviewed as part of a criminal inquiry.
Nytimes nytimes: Security footage and police report
Officials reviewed office security-camera footage showing an extended embrace during the morning of Dec. 18; that video was examined as part of a criminal investigation. A police report filed on Jan. 24 documents a complaint of forced sexual contact in December at the Labor Department’s offices. The police report is the only one in the last three months associated with the department’s address, and the police department’s sexual-assault unit is investigating the matter.
Access barred and building notice
After the women described the incidents to investigators, the husband — identified in coverage as Dr. Shawn DeRemer — was barred from entering the Labor Department’s premises. A building restriction notice instructs that if he attempts to enter, staff are to ask him to leave. Dr. DeRemer, an anesthesiologist based in Portland who frequently visited his wife’s Washington offices, is described in one account as not having responded to a request for comment; another account notes a denial of the allegations in an interview. A spokeswoman for the department did not provide a comment, and a lawyer representing the labor secretary declined to comment.
Inspector general inquiry and department fallout
The restrictions on Dr. DeRemer come amid a widening internal inquiry. The inspector general’s office is investigating a formal complaint that Secretary Chavez-DeRemer had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate and abused her office by taking staff to strip clubs, drinking on the job and taking personal trips at taxpayer expense. Her lawyer has denied those allegations. Several aides and members of the secretary’s security staff have been placed on administrative or investigative leave during the probe.
President Trump nominated Chavez-DeRemer late in 2024 and she was confirmed earlier the following year; she had been a Republican congresswoman from Oregon who lost re-election in 2024. Coverage notes that during her tenure, thousands of department employees have been pushed out of the federal service and that the department broadcast social-media messages that echoed language used by white nationalists.
What to watch next
The criminal investigation by the sexual-assault unit and the inspector general inquiry are the two observable processes that will determine next steps. If the police unit pursues charges, that could lead to a criminal case; if the inspector general substantiates the complaint about the secretary’s conduct, additional administrative actions or personnel changes could follow. Both investigations are ongoing and outcomes are not publicly confirmed at this time.
Key takeaways: the department has restricted access by an individual accused by staff of unwanted touching; security footage and a police report have entered the record; and internal oversight is examining separate complaints about senior officials. The situation remains active, with criminal and administrative tracks proceeding in parallel.
