President Donald Trump’s third woman Cabinet member to depart in seven weeks, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, is perhaps the most obvious exit — and one that elected Republicans openly welcomed.
Chavez-DeRemer faced a probe from her department’s independent watchdog into a long list of alleged misbehaviors on the job, including reported charges of an affair with a department security official.
The allegations, which she denies, had long driven internal whispers about her future in the administration; some aides and people close to the White House were already wondering how she’d survived as long as she had.
Multiple sources told Semafor they saw a simple reason for that: her loyalty to Trump.
“We should have probably teased through the managerial, the executive-level experiences, some of these roles need for people to be successful,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who added that he suspects she exited “because the allegations are true.”
Another theory regarding how she hung on: Chavez-DeRemer’s controversies were, until now, often eclipsed by missteps made by now-departed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
White House communications director Steven Cheung praised Chavez-DeRemer’s efforts, saying on X that she will take a job in the private sector. Keith Sonderling, her deputy, will step into the head role in an acting capacity.