Steven Cheung Announces Lori Chavez-DeRemer Leaving Trump Administration as Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling Takes Over

Lori Chavez-DeRemer is leaving the Trump administration as U.S. Labor Secretary, with White House communications director Steven Cheung announcing that she would “be leaving the Administration to take a position in the private sector.”

“The former labor secretary was under investigation for alleged misconduct”

6abc Philadelphia

Cheung said in an X post that Chavez-DeRemer “has done a phenomenal job in her role by protecting American workers, enacting fair labor practices, and helping Americans gain additional skills to improve their lives.”

6abc Philadelphia

Multiple outlets reported that Deputy Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling will serve as acting Labor secretary after her exit.

CNBC said Cheung wrote that Chavez-DeRemer, 58, will “take a position in the private sector,” and that Sonderling will take over the department in an acting capacity.

CNN similarly reported that “Keith Sonderling will serve as acting secretary of the Department of Labor,” and said it had asked the White House for more details including when the departure will take effect.

In her own statement on X, Chavez-DeRemer wrote: “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve in this historic Administration and work for the greatest President of my lifetime.”

She added, “While my time serving in the Administration comes to a conclusion, it doesn’t mean I will stop fighting for American workers. I am looking forward to what the future has in store as I depart for the private sector,” according to CNBC and echoed by other outlets.

The resignation also placed Sonderling at the center of the department’s immediate leadership transition, with Cheung saying he would “take on the role of Acting Secretary of Labor,” as Al Jazeera reported.

The departure came amid an internal investigation into misconduct allegations involving Chavez-DeRemer and her office, with outlets describing a probe by the Labor Department’s inspector general.

Axios said the inspector general launched an investigation earlier this year after it was alleged she misused taxpayer dollars to fund personal travel, and it reported whistleblowers’ claims that staff fabricated official visits for trips taken with family and friends.

Al Jazeera

CNN described that the Labor Department’s Inspector General’s Office had been investigating complaints about her conduct, including “a sexual relationship with a member of her security team, as well as other allegations of inappropriate behavior, such as sending staff to pick up liquor and attempting to use business trips as excuses for personal travel.”

Fox News reported that a whistleblower complaint accused Chavez-DeRemer of an affair with her security guard, drinking on the job, and using staff to fabricate official travel for personal trips at taxpayer expense.

Politico said the investigation began in January when DOL Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito opened an investigation into allegations that she was involved in an extramarital affair with a member of her security detail, that she drank on the job, and that top aides concocted official events to facilitate her personal travel plans.

The Guardian said the inspector general was investigating claims including “having an affair with a subordinate and drinking on the job,” and it also listed allegations that she kept a “stash” of alcohol in her office and used government resources for personal travel.

Several outlets also tied the investigation to text messages and requests involving staff, with Politico saying the IG’s office obtained copies of text messages that appeared to show Chavez-DeRemer asking for aides to fetch her wine.

In a statement to CNN before her new job was announced, Chavez-DeRemer’s lawyer Nick Oberheiden said, “Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has made a name for herself as a zealous advocate for American workers,” and that she “will not comment on biased and absurd allegations against her,” according to CNN.

White House officials framed Chavez-DeRemer’s exit as a move to the private sector rather than a finding of wrongdoing, while her attorney disputed that she resigned due to legal violations.

CNBC said White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote that Chavez-DeRemer would “take a position in the private sector,” and it quoted Cheung praising her work: “She has done a phenomenal job in her role by protecting American workers, enacting fair labor practices, and helping Americans gain additional skills to improve their lives.”

CNBC also reported that Chavez-DeRemer’s lawyer Nick Oberheiden said in a statement to MS NOW, “Secretary Chavez-DeRemer did not resign due to findings that she violated the law. Her decision to leave office was personal.”

CNN similarly quoted Cheung’s statement that Chavez-DeRemer would be leaving the administration, and it reported that in her X statement she wrote, “I am proud that we made significant progress in advancing President Trump’s mission to bridge the gap between business and labor and always put the American worker first.”

Politico included a statement from her personal attorney, Nick Oberheiden, saying, “Secretary Chavez-DeRemer has decided to step down in the best interest of the American people, to ensure the administration’s work continues without distraction, and to focus on her family in light of the strain caused by biased allegations.”

Politico also reported that the White House initially stood by her, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters on Jan. 15 that President Donald Trump thought Chavez-DeRemer was “doing a tremendous job,” and that the White House had repeatedly signaled support for her until recently.

In the same reporting, Politico said a Republican close to the Trump administration told the New York Times that “The text messages were the final straw,” and added, “There’s no escaping text messages.”

Fox News quoted Chavez-DeRemer’s statement on X in which she said, “At the Department of Labor, I am proud that we made significant progress in advancing President Trump’s mission to bridge the gap between business and labor and always put the American worker first.”

While all the outlets described Chavez-DeRemer’s departure and the acting role of Keith Sonderling, they differed in how they emphasized the underlying allegations, the status of verification, and the broader political context.

CNN foregrounded the investigation details and said “NPR has not independently verified the contents of the investigation,” while NPR itself stated that it had not independently verified the investigation’s contents and that “While in office, Chavez-DeRemer spent much of her time away from Washington.”

BBC

Axios emphasized the inspector general’s investigation and the internal personnel fallout, noting that “At least four Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff and deputy chief of staff left after they were told to” and describing allegations involving misuse of taxpayer dollars and staff fabricating official visits.

Politico focused on the timeline of the inspector general’s actions, saying the investigation began in January when DOL Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito opened it, and it described the departure as “amid a series of misconduct allegations against her and her top staffers.”

The Guardian framed the resignation as part of a “string of political and personal controversies,” and it highlighted that the inspector general was investigating claims including “kept a “stash” of alcohol in her office” and that her husband and father exchanged text messages with young female staff members.

Time tied the resignation to the New York Times reporting about the inspector general reviewing messages and requests, stating that “The New York Times reported last week that the Department of Labor’s inspector general’s office was reviewing personal messages.”

Fox News emphasized the whistleblower complaint and also described additional allegations about hostile work environment and private errands, saying reporting on the complaints indicates Chavez-DeRemer requested staff to perform private errands like “picking up their dry cleaning, getting them wine and cleaning out the Secretary's closet.”

Al Jazeera, in contrast, described the departure as the latest in a pattern of cabinet exits, stating Chavez-DeRemer is “the third woman to leave the Trump administration since March,” and it linked the earlier exits to Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi.

The resignation reshaped leadership at the Department of Labor immediately, with Cheung saying Keith Sonderling would take over as acting secretary, and multiple outlets described the transition as occurring while the inspector general’s work was still unfolding.

“Lori Chavez-DeRemer out as US labour secretary US Labour Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will leave the Trump administration to take a position in the private sector, the White House said on Monday”

BBC

6abc Philadelphia said the exit came as the inspector general's report investigating her was poised to drop any day, and it described the investigation as including “an affair with a member of security detail, as well as a department internal watchdog investigation for allegedly abusing her office.”

Bend Bulletin

Axios reported that the inspector general launched an investigation earlier this year and that “Resignations” followed after staff were told to leave, while CNBC said Chavez-DeRemer was expected to be interviewed as part of that internal probe in the coming days.

CNN said it had asked the White House for more details including when the departure will take effect, and it also reported that “A criminal investigation into that matter has been closed,” referring to the husband’s case.

The Guardian said the scandals did not end there and that the inspector general’s investigation was believed to be nearing its conclusion and that “at least four department officials had been forced from their jobs as it progressed.”

Politico reported that four people placed on leave had left the Labor Department, including Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff Jihun Han and deputy chief of staff Rebecca Wright, and it said Brian Sloan resigned in March rather than cooperating with the probe.

The Guardian reported that during Chavez-DeRemer’s tenure the administration cancelled millions of dollars in international grants administered by a labor department division to combat child and slave labor, ending work that “helped reduce the number of child laborers worldwide by 78 million over the last two decades.”

The Guardian also said the department moved to rewrite or repeal more than 60 workplace regulations, including minimum wage requirements for home care workers and people with disabilities, and rules governing exposure to harmful substances and safety procedures at mines.