Labor Secretary's Husband Barred from Department Headquarters Following Sexual Assault Allegations
The husband of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Deremer has reportedly been banned from the department's Washington headquarters amid serious accusations of sexual assault. Dr. Shawn Deremer, 57, was barred from the building after being caught on video inappropriately touching two female Labor Department staffers, according to reports from The New York Times.
Incident Details and Police Investigation
The alleged incident occurred on December 18 at the Labor Department headquarters on Constitution Avenue. The two staffers reported that Deremer "touched them inappropriately" while they were working. Video evidence reportedly shows Dr. Deremer giving one of the women an extended embrace, and this footage has been reviewed by law enforcement authorities.
According to a police report obtained by The Daily Mail, a woman told Washington D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department that she was sexually assaulted in the department's building on that date. The police report stated that an unnamed victim claimed someone committed "a sexual contact against her will." The Metropolitan Police Department has not confirmed the identity of the suspect, but confirmed that the sexual assault accusation was the only one filed in the last three months at the Department of Labor building.
The incident remains under active investigation by the Sexual Assault Unit. There is reportedly a building notice warning that "If Mr. DeRemer attempts to enter, he is to be asked to leave." Dr. Deremer, who works as an anesthesiologist in Portland, Oregon and frequently travels to Washington to visit his wife, has now been banned from the premises.
Broader Investigation into Labor Secretary's Conduct
The female staffers' complaint has triggered an internal investigation by the Department of Labor Inspector General regarding Secretary Chavez-Deremer and her senior staff's alleged conduct. This investigation extends beyond the sexual assault allegations to include multiple other accusations against the Labor Secretary and her team.
Chavez-Deremer, who received bipartisan support in her confirmation hearings last year and was confirmed by the Senate with significant support from both Republicans and Democrats, now faces an internal complaint with the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General for both unprofessional conduct and allegedly using her position to create a hostile work environment.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has also launched its own investigation into the allegations. The bombshell complaint has led to interviews across the department, with multiple employees being placed on leave pending the investigation.
Additional Allegations Against the Labor Secretary
Beyond the sexual assault allegations involving her husband, Chavez-Deremer faces numerous other accusations:
- Allegedly taking staffers to a strip club in Oregon during an official trip in April, with $2,890.06 of taxpayer money reportedly used for the trip
- Accusations of drinking on the job in government offices
- Maintaining "a stash" of bourbon, Kahlua and champagne at her Washington office
- Using government trips to give brief speeches before "going out drinking at night" using government funds
- Making aides run personal errands and odd jobs while working for her
- Alleged "travel fraud" involving made-up business trips using taxpayer funds to travel to be with family and friends
- Traveling to the Red Rocks Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas during a government shutdown for her niece's birthday
- Making ten of her 50 official trips to either Nevada, her home state of Oregon, her daughter's residence in Michigan, or her adopted home of Arizona
Chief of Staff Jihun Han and Deputy Chief of Staff Rebecca Wright have been placed on leave amid the investigation, with at least one additional staffer and two aides also placed on temporary leave.
Response from Chavez-Deremer's Team
A White House spokesperson called all accusations "baseless," stating: "Secretary Chavez-Deremer is an incredible asset to President Trump's team and she will continue advancing the President's America First agenda."
Chavez-Deremer's lawyer issued a statement saying: "Secretary Chavez-Deremer firmly denies any allegations of wrongdoing. Her utmost priority remains to advance President Trump's agenda by continuing her hard and successful work for the betterment of the American people."
Dr. Shawn Deremer, the secretary's husband of over 40 years, flatly denied any impropriety, stating: "There's not an ounce of truth to this, and anyone who knows my wife would know that."
A spokesperson for the Department of Labor stated: "These unsubstantiated allegations are categorically false. 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."
Background and Confirmation Process
In March 2025, Senators voted 67 to 32 with 17 Democrats joining their colleagues to confirm former GOP Representative Chavez-Deremer for the position. Despite being one of the president's final top officials to be Senate confirmed, Chavez-Deremer had already attended Cabinet meetings at the White House.
The former congresswoman's nomination was seen as a nod from the president to union workers, but during her confirmation process, she backed away from her prior support for the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act she once championed. Three Republican senators—Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul and Ted Budd—voted against her confirmation.
Chavez-Deremer represented Oregon's 5th District for one term in Congress from 2023 to 2025 after flipping the blue district, but lost her reelection bid in a close race in November 2024. She previously served as mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon and on the city council.
The Office of the Inspector General declined to comment on the investigation, stating: "It is the policy of the DOL OIG to neither confirm nor deny the existence or non-existence of any OIG investigation or complaint beyond what is published on our website. DOL OIG remains committed to rooting out fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption through objective, independent oversight of the U.S. Department of Labor."
