Grassley Probes Labor Secretary Over Misconduct Allegations (1)

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is pressing Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer to respond to allegations that she committed travel fraud and had an inappropriate relationship with a staffer, marking the first signs she could be losing support from key Republicans.

In a sharply worded Jan. 28 letter to Chavez-DeRemer, the influential chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee requested that she address multiple claims reported by the New York Post, including that she took staff to a strip club in Portland, Ore., and fabricated official work trips so she could “travel for pleasure, while having the American taxpayer foot the bill.”

Grassley also asked for details about her travel to Palm Beach, as well as four visits to Las Vegas last year, two of which allegedly included the staffer said to be in an inappropriate relationship with Chavez-DeRemer. He also sought information about allegations that senior Labor Department staff “bullied” junior staff.

The letter obtained by Bloomberg Law marks a stark departure from Grassley’s mode of protecting Trump appointees from robust Democratic criticism this past year. The Judiciary panel chairman has long been focused on rooting out waste of taxpayer dollars, but has consistently fended off claims of misconduct by officials more squarely in his jurisdiction, including by Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.

“No matter the department or agency at issue, Congress has a constitutional responsibility to conduct oversight of federal spending by following the facts to ensure proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars,” a spokesperson for Grassley said in a statement.

The spokesperson didn’t provide an explanation as to why Grassley was taking the lead on this issue rather than the typical panel with jurisdiction—the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. He has recently sent oversight demands to other departments not in his typical remit, including the Education Department.

The White House so far has maintained support for Chavez-DeRemer. The labor secretary’s chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, and bodyguard have been placed on leave amid a DOL inspector general investigation into her conduct.

“We are aware of Senator Grassley’s inquiry and are cooperating fully with all lawful requests for information,” Nick Oberheiden, Chavez-DeRemer’s personal attorney, said in a statement. “At this stage, the inquiry is preliminary and no findings have been made.”

Once the investigative process is complete, “we are confident that the current allegations can be clarified to a satisfactory conclusion,” Oberheiden said.

The letter requests a response no later than Feb. 11. The Labor Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.