Labor Secretary’s husband barred from HQ after sexual assault claims
Shawn DeRemer, husband of Lori Chavez-DeRemer, President Trump’s nominee for labor secretary, sits the day Chavez-DeRemer testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, USA, February 19, 2025.
Kent Nishimura | Reuters
MS Now confirmed Thursday night that at least two female employees claimed they were sexually assaulted by Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s husband at the Department of Labor building.
Chavez-DeRemer’s husband Dr. Shawn DeRemerMS Now confirmed that the suspect was not charged with any crime, but was barred from the Labor Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., after the women detailed their allegations to investigators.
New York Times first reported the incident on Thursday, citing people familiar with the situation and a police report.
“This is an active investigation by MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit,” a spokesperson for Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department told CNBC when contacted about the Times’ revelation in late January that an accuser had filed a police report. “We are unable to confirm the names of any potential suspects or witnesses.
According to the Times, the women met with Dr. They said DeRemer “touched them inappropriately at the Department of Labor building on Constitution Avenue.”
According to the Times report, based on people familiar with the incident, “One of the incidents was recorded on office security cameras during working hours on the morning of December 18.”
“One of those on record said the video showed Dr. DeRemer hugging one of the women for a long time and was being reviewed as part of a criminal investigation.
According to that news outlet, in this case Dr. He said DeRemer was seen embracing the woman, which lasted too long and became “creepy.”
The Labor Department’s inspector general, an internal watchdog, is investigating the situation, according to The Times. The newspaper also reported that Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department filed a report with police on January 24 regarding forced sexual intercourse in December.
CNBC obtained a publicly available copy of the police report, which reads, “The complainant reported sexual contact against her will” during the incident, which occurred at 11:30 a.m. on December 18 at the Department of Labor building.
Neither the complainant’s name nor the name of the alleged attacker was included in the public copy of the report.
Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on April 30, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Andrew Harnik | Getty Images
The inspector general’s office did not confirm or deny it was conducting an investigation when contacted by CNBC.
Dr. DeRemer, the Labor Department, the Police Department and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from CNBC.
At the end of January The Times A member of Secretary Chavez-DeRemer’s security team, with whom she is accused of having a romantic relationship, has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the inspector general.
The Labor Department’s social media account posted a video in January featuring a slideshow of artwork depicting glorified scenes from American history.
The caption above the video read: “One Homeland. One People. One Heritage. Remember who you are, an American.”
Social media users pointed out the similarities between the Ministry of Labor’s post and the Nazi Party slogan.
Noting that the US Holocaust Museum was used by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, the slogan “Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer” means “One People, One Country, One Leader”.
