Bodyguard Resigns Amid Allegations of Affair with Labor Secretary
Brian Sloan, a bodyguard assigned to protect Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, has resigned from his position following accusations that he was engaged in a romantic affair with the 57-year-old married official. The resignation occurred last week, as reported by Politico, citing two department officials familiar with the matter.
Internal Probe and Travel Fraud Claims
Sloan had previously been placed on administrative leave as the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General launched an investigation into allegations of unprofessional conduct involving Secretary Chavez-DeRemer. An internal complaint, obtained by The New York Post, details serious accusations against top staffers at the federal department.
The complaint alleges that senior officials engaged in travel fraud, creating fictitious business trips using taxpayer funds to visit family and friends. Specifically, it claims Chavez-DeRemer arranged at least three meetings with Sloan in September and October, either after dismissing her security team or while waiting for them to leave.
Lavish Trips and Unprofessional Behavior
According to the complaint, Chavez-DeRemer and Sloan traveled to the upscale Red Rocks Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas during a government shutdown to attend the Labor Secretary's niece's birthday celebration. The document also references two additional trips to Las Vegas during her first year in office, where video footage allegedly captures them behaving unprofessionally.
In total, Chavez-DeRemer is accused of making ten of her fifty official trips to either Nevada, her home state of Oregon, her daughter's residence in Michigan, or her adopted home of Arizona, where she and her husband maintain a property. This includes three of her five trips in November alone.
Further Allegations of Misconduct
The Labor Secretary is further accused of using government-funded trips to deliver brief speeches before going out drinking at night at taxpayer expense. Additionally, the Inspector General's complaint alleges that Chavez-DeRemer keeps a stash of alcohol, including bourbon, Kahlua, and champagne, in her Washington D.C. office.
Chavez-DeRemer also allegedly required her aides to perform personal errands and odd jobs during work hours. In a separate incident reported by The New York Post, she took subordinates to a strip club in Oregon last year. The visit to Angels PDX occurred on April 18, 2025, at the conclusion of a five-day official trip, with $2,890.06 in taxpayer funds used for the Oregon excursion.
Senior Staff Resignations and Denials
Amid the ongoing investigation, Chavez-DeRemer's Chief of Staff Jihun Han and Deputy Chief of Staff Rebecca Wright were placed on leave after being accused of involvement and knowledge of the issues. Both have since resigned under pressure from Trump administration officials. Melissa Robey, director of the advance team, was also placed on leave earlier this month but remains on staff.
Chavez-DeRemer has vehemently denied all allegations, and her attorney has stated she is fully cooperating with the Inspector General's investigation, led by former New York Representative Anthony D'Esposito. Her husband of over forty years, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, has also dismissed the claims, asserting, There's not an ounce of truth to this, and anyone who knows my wife would know that.
Additional Controversy Involving Husband
However, Dr. DeRemer himself faces accusations of misconduct. According to The New York Times, he was barred from the Department of Labor's headquarters after being captured on video inappropriately touching two female staffers on December 18. The footage reportedly shows him giving one woman an extended embrace, and the incident is under active investigation by the Sexual Assault Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department.
A police report obtained by The Daily Mail states that an unnamed victim reported a sexual contact against her will at the department's building on that date. The Metropolitan Police Department has not confirmed the suspect's identity, and the Department of Labor has declined to comment on the ongoing investigations.
