Federal prosecutors in the DC US Attorney's Office have declined to file charges against Dr. Shawn DeRemer, husband of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, after reviewing security camera footage related to allegations that he sexually assaulted two female staffers at the Department of Labor headquarters in Washington, DC.
The decision lands amid a broader storm of allegations swirling around the Labor Secretary herself, including claims of a hostile work environment, misuse of taxpayer funds, and an inappropriate relationship with a member of her security detail. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has opened an inquiry into her conduct.
A spokesperson for DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro put the matter plainly:
"Based upon the evidence presented to this office in relation to the video, there is no indication of a crime."
The Federal Protective Service also declined to pursue the case last month. The Metropolitan Police Department, which had opened a case on January 24 involving an allegation that a staffer was forced into "sexual contact against her will," confirmed on Saturday that its investigation has concluded. DeRemer's attorney, James Bell, said his client "categorically, unequivocally, and emphatically denies each one of the allegations."
At least one of the alleged incidents involved Dr. DeRemer being caught on an office security camera giving a prolonged hug to one of the women last December. Staff were told to exit briefly on February 5 while a Metropolitan Police Department officer entered and reviewed the footage.
Three separate entities reviewed the evidence. Three declined to bring charges. That sequence matters.
NY Post reports that DeRemer was subsequently barred from the building, with a restriction notice stating that if he attempts to enter, "he is to be asked to leave." A building ban following cleared allegations is an odd institutional posture, but it speaks more to bureaucratic caution than to the strength of the underlying claims.
The allegations against Dr. DeRemer are only one thread in a much larger tangle. Inspector General Anthony D'Esposito's probe has drawn several additional complaints, and the picture they paint of leadership at the Department of Labor is not flattering.
Among the claims:
Han, Wright, and the security guard in question were all placed on administrative leave in January. The Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General determined it had a conflict of interest and could not investigate. A DHS spokesperson confirmed that when consulted, the department "informed DOL OIG that there is an existing process to be followed regarding OIG conflicts and recommended that DOL OIG follow that process."
None of these allegations has been proven. But the volume and variety suggest an office where professional standards were treated as optional.
Perhaps the most revealing detail to emerge from the probe involves Rebecca Wright, who was outed for having taken a shot at President Trump. According to sources, Wright told colleagues:
"We don't care how POTUS looks, and we don't care what the White House tells us to do. We only care that the secretary looks good."
That is a remarkable statement from a political appointee serving at the pleasure of the President. Cabinet secretaries exist to execute the President's agenda, not to build personal fiefdoms insulated from White House direction. Wright's comment suggests an office that had confused loyalty to the principal with loyalty to the mission. Those are not the same thing, and in government, the distinction is everything.
While the investigation has unfolded, Chavez-DeRemer has continued to operate as though nothing is wrong. She has attended Cabinet and White House events, continued a tour of states, done media appearances, and even attended a $2,500-per-ticket fundraising dinner for Rep. Bill Huizenga on February 11. A flier for the event described her as "a special guest" and noted the "appearance is not a solicitation of funds."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that President Trump is "aware of the internal investigation" and "thinks that she's doing a tremendous job at the Department of Labor on behalf of American workers."
The cleared sexual assault allegations are good news for the DeRemer family, and the legal system worked as it should. Three agencies reviewed the evidence. Three found it insufficient. That process deserves respect regardless of the political stakes.
The broader conduct allegations are a different matter entirely. Conservatives rightly demand accountability from government officials. Taxpayer-funded trips that may have been fabricated, strip club outings on the public dime, staffers who openly dismiss White House direction: these are exactly the kinds of institutional rot that the Trump administration was elected to clean out, not perpetuate.
Senator Grassley's inquiry will determine whether the remaining allegations hold up under scrutiny. If they do, the response should be swift and principled. The conservative movement gains nothing from defending conduct it would rightly excoriate in a Democratic appointee.
Standards only mean something when you apply them to your own side.
