The secretary of labor’s chief of staff and deputy chief of staff were placed on administrative leave on Monday, as the Labor Department’s watchdog begins investigating allegations of professional misconduct involving the secretary, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

The move to place the two officials on leave followed a report by The New York Post on Friday that said a formal complaint had been filed against Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer with the department’s inspector general’s office, accusing her of abusing her office and of having an affair with a subordinate.

Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff, Jihun Han, and deputy chief of staff, Rebecca Wright, were also named in the complaint, the Post reported. Politico reported the moves to sideline Han and Wright earlier Monday.

Accused of ‘Travel Fraud’

According to the Post, the complaint accused Chavez-DeRemer of committing “travel fraud” by having Han and Wright create trips for the secretary where she could spend personal time with friends and family. The complaint also accused Chavez-DeRemer, who is married, of having an “inappropriate” relationship with a subordinate, the Post said.

According to the complaint, the Post reported, Han and Wright knew about Chavez-DeRemer’s behavior. Both worked for Chavez-DeRemer when she served in Congress — she represented Oregon’s 5th Congressional District for a single term, from 2023 to 2025.

Han and Wright could not be reached for comment Monday night.

In a statement Saturday, a spokesperson for the Labor Department’s inspector general’s office said: “It is the policy of the D.O.L. O.I.G. to neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of any O.I.G. investigation or complaint beyond what is published on our website. D.O.L. O.I.G. remains committed to rooting out fraud, waste, abuse and corruption through objective, independent oversight of the U.S. Department of Labor.”

The inspector general, former New York Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, assumed the office just last week. According to the Post, the complaint was filed in December.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Rebecca Davis O’Brien/Kenny Holston
c. 2026 The New York Times Company