Dr. Shawn DeRemer, the husband of U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer, has been barred from entering the U.S. Department of Labor’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., after at least two female staff members accused him of sexually assaulting them inside the building.
The incidents are alleged to have occurred at the Labor Department’s main headquarters, the Frances Perkins Building, including one during working hours in December that was reportedly captured on security cameras and is being reviewed as part of a criminal investigation.
A police report was filed with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington on Jan. 24 regarding an unwanted contact complaint.
Security staff were directed in late January to deny DeRemer entry to the department’s headquarters, effectively barring him until the investigation concludes.
DeRemer has denied the allegations, stating he has not committed the acts described and that he intends to contest the claims.
As Politico reports:
The person familiar with the investigation confirmed that the allegation came up amid a series of interviews being conducted by DOL’s inspector general as part of a broader probe of the Labor secretary and her staff that has been underway since early January.
Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff and deputy chief of staff have been placed on leave for weeks, pending the internal investigation. A member of Chavez-DeRemer’s security detail has also been taken off duty after being accused of having a romantic relationship with the Labor secretary that she has denied.
DOL Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito, a former Republican congressman, is also looking into allegations that Chavez-DeRemer scheduled official events to facilitate her personal travel agenda and drank on the job, and that the two top aides improperly influenced grantmaking decisions to benefit the secretary’s political standing.
The White House has so far stuck by Chavez-DeRemer despite the salacious nature of some of the allegations brought against her and her inner circle.
The Labor Department has not issued a public comment on the matter to date.
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