An independent Labor Department probe found Lori Chavez-DeRemer violated policy by drinking at the office and directing aides to handle personal chores, including using a department vehicle to organize clothing at her home.
The report said she also accepted gifts without proper disclosure, including rodeo tickets, an alligator-hide wallet and two cowboy hats, and maintained an inappropriately close relationship with a security supervisor.
A November 2025 Palm Beach trip drew particular scrutiny: Chavez-DeRemer stayed three nights at a $529-a-night luxury hotel and was reimbursed more than $2,000, above the federal rate.
Investigators described a repeated pattern of mixing personal and official travel, saying government travel authorities were used on multiple occasions to support trips that also served her private interests.
The findings add detail to the turmoil that marked her brief tenure before she left earlier this year for the private sector; the Labor Department said it respects the inspector general investigation.