Early into the new year, another dark cloud has drifted into President Donald Trump’s second term.
Coming on the heels of two lawsuits tied to his Palm Beach golf club, another unsettling storyline has surfaced — this time centered on the salacious nature of claims involving a top cabinet official.
The optics around alleged behavior with personnel feel less like government business and more like a late-night scene fueled by booze, bad decisions, and all the wrong company.
According to the New York Post, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is under an internal investigation for allegations of misconduct. Unnamed sources told the conservative-leaning newspaper that Chavez-DeRemer, 57, is accused of being involved in illicit behavior with her personnel.
The supposedly expansive probe reportedly claims Chavez-DeRemer had a “stash” of alcohol in her Washington, D.C., office and was known to drink during the workday. Interviews with numerous government officials and staffers allegedly depicted a hostile work environment that included partying and drinking during official trips.
Apparently, evidence proved that the former congresswoman from Oregon took subordinates to the Angels PDX strip club in April 2025. While other details of the inquiry leaked earlier this year, the visit to the strip club located in her home state is new public information.
Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer is reportedly under investigation for pursuing a relationship with a subordinate, travel fraud, and drinking on the job. pic.twitter.com/S1PW6Aug8P
— FactPost (@factpostnews) January 12, 2026
Chavez-DeRemer was close by in the Portland area at the time for a five-day visit costing $2,890.06 and paid for by the American taxpayers. Lodging, transportation, and meals made up most of the total, but there was also a $188.35 expense listed as “miscellaneous.”
Multiple employees in Chavez-DeRemer’s office have now been placed on leave as the Labor Department inspector general’s office continues the investigation.
Meanwhile, Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt has stated that the president “stands by the secretary” and believes she is “doing a tremendous job” at the Labor Department.
Unsurprisingly, as news of the Labor Secretary’s behind-the-scenes issues spread on Jan. 18, commenters were quick to share their takes on the most recent chapter in the never-ending palace intrigue that constantly cripples the Trump administration.
“Just another day in the Trump admin. All the finest people,” one X user sarcastically tweeted in response to a screenshot of a headline about the matter.
Another person went the satirical route by asking, “Maybe they were doing labor research at the strip club?” A third poster referenced religious faith with a tweet that read, “Seven deadly sins in one administration.”
“The ‘family values’ party [is] running the government like a frat house. Actually pathetic,” expressed one critic of Republicans.
“When the leader of the party is morally bankrupt, nothing more can be expected from the subordinates. What standard can they be held to?” an account wrote on X.
There were also people calling for Chavez-DeRemer to be removed from her position as one person exclaimed, “She should be fired!”
Chavez-DeRemer is just the latest Cabinet member to face the wrath of the internet. Since the presidential inauguration in January 2025, several Trump appointees have found themselves in the middle of scandals.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been accused of having an alcohol problem, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy is still reeling from an alleged sexting affair with a reporter, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is facing possible impeachment over her handling of nationwide immigration raids.
Trump announced Chavez-DeRemer as his choice to head the Department of Labor in 2024, following his presidential election victory against then-Vice President Kamala Harris in November of that year.
The U.S. Senate confirmed the former mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon, as Labor Secretary in a 67–32 vote. She was sworn in on March 11, 2025.
Despite complaints from her own staff and questionable decisions becoming public, Chavez-DeRemer maintains that she is not walking away from her position in Trump’s circle.
“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,” Chavez-DeRemer’s attorney, Dr. Nick Oberheiden, said in a statement to the Post.
