Labor Secretary’s Top Aides Forced Out
Two top aides to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer were forced out Monday night amid an internal investigation into claims of misconduct by top officials in the department, people familiar with the matter said.
Ms. Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff, Jihun Han, and deputy chief of staff, Rebecca Wright, were given 24 hours to resign after the White House told Labor Department leaders to fire them, one of the people said.
Mr. Han and Ms. Wright could not be reached for comment. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Their departure was reported earlier Tuesday by The New York Post. The Post in January reported on a whistle-blower complaint with the inspector general’s office that claimed Ms. Chavez-DeRemer drank on the job, that she was having an affair with a subordinate — a member of her security detail — and that she used department resources for personal trips.
Investigators have spoken with several dozen witnesses in a probe that has expanded to include claims that Mr. Han and Ms. Wright tried to steer department grants to favored political operatives. In interviews with The New York Times, more than two dozen current and former department employees described a toxic workplace characterized by an absentee secretary, hostile aides and a deeply demoralized staff. Most of them spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss department business or because they feared retribution.
Ms. Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff, Jihun Han, and deputy chief of staff, Rebecca Wright, were given 24 hours to resign after the White House told Labor Department leaders to fire them, one of the people said.
Mr. Han and Ms. Wright could not be reached for comment. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Their departure was reported earlier Tuesday by The New York Post. The Post in January reported on a whistle-blower complaint with the inspector general’s office that claimed Ms. Chavez-DeRemer drank on the job, that she was having an affair with a subordinate — a member of her security detail — and that she used department resources for personal trips.
Investigators have spoken with several dozen witnesses in a probe that has expanded to include claims that Mr. Han and Ms. Wright tried to steer department grants to favored political operatives. In interviews with The New York Times, more than two dozen current and former department employees described a toxic workplace characterized by an absentee secretary, hostile aides and a deeply demoralized staff. Most of them spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss department business or because they feared retribution.
