The husband of US Labour Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has been barred from entering the department's headquarters in Washington after at least two female staff members accused him of sexual assault, according to reports from the New York Times, Politico and the Wall Street Journal.
Shawn DeRemer is alleged to have inappropriately touched two women at the Frances Perkins Building, the department's main office. One incident reportedly occurred during working hours in December and was captured on security cameras. The footage is part of a criminal investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department, which received a complaint on 24 January regarding a sexual contact that took place on 18 December.
Citing an unnamed source, Politico reported that security staff were instructed in late January to deny DeRemer entry. He denied the allegations to the Wall Street Journal, stating: 'I have not done any of this, and I categorically deny these things. I will absolutely, categorically fight everything in this.'
The allegations against DeRemer come amid separate controversies involving Secretary Chavez-DeRemer. In January, a security officer assigned to protect her was placed on leave over an alleged romantic relationship, and two top aides were suspended pending an investigation into allegations that she drank alcohol in her office during work hours and used taxpayer funds for personal trips, including to Las Vegas. Both the department and her attorney have denied these claims.
Chavez-DeRemer, a former congresswoman from Oregon, was nominated to Donald Trump's cabinet after the 2024 election. The department's website describes her and her husband as founders of an anaesthesia management company and several medical clinics in the Pacific Northwest.
