Exclusive | Top aides to under-fire Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resign amid watchdog probe



Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s top aides are resigning from the department amid an inspector general’s probe into their alleged mistreatment of staff and misuse of taxpayer dollars for personal travel with the Cabinet official, sources told The Post.

Chief of staff Jihun Han and deputy Rebecca Wright were offered the choice of resigning or being fired by the White House Monday night, roughly two months after department watchdog Anthony D’Esposito launched an investigation into the senior aides.

Jihun Han has resigned from his position in the Department of Labor. U.S. Department of Labor
Deputy Chief of Staff Rebecca Wright resigned from her position. U.S. Department of Labor

The complaint filed with D’Esposito’s office — first reported by The Post in January — accused Chavez-DeRemer, 57, of having Han and Wright “make up” official trips, seeking out conferences or speaking engagements at destinations where the secretary could also visit family members or travel for pleasure.

The labor secretary also faced allegations of drinking in her office during the workday, enabling a “hostile” workplace — with Han and Wright belittling and bullying staffers — and pursuing an “inappropriate” relationship with a member of her security detail.

Lori Chavez-DeRemer (yellow bikini) in Las Vegas. New York Post

Han, Wright and the security guard were all placed on administrative leave in January, sources noted, and additional complaints have been submitted since then against the secretary’s aides accusing them of interfering with the IG probe and exerting improper influence over junior staff.

Secretary of Labor Chavez-DeRemer came under fire over her inappropriate relationship with her staff. Getty Images

The White House has said it stands by the labor secretary amid the investigation, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying 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.”

Neither Han nor Wright immediately responded to requests for comment. Reps for DOL, the White House and D’Esposito’s office also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.


Justice Department swiftly fires lawyer chosen as top federal prosecutor for Virginia office



A lawyer picked by judges to serve as the top federal prosecutor for a Virginia office that pursued cases against foes of President Donald Trump was swiftly fired Friday by the Justice Department in the latest clash over the appointments of powerful US attorneys.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the firing of James Hundley on social media shortly after he was unanimously chosen by judges to replace former Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan as interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

While the law says that the district court may choose US attorneys when an initial appointment expires, the Trump administration has insisted that the power lies only in the hands of the executive branch.

James Hundley was fired after he was unanimously chosen by judges to replace former Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan as interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Briglia Hundley

“EDVA judges do not pick our US Attorney. POTUS does. James Hundley, you’re fired!” Blanche said in a post on X.

Hundley, who has handled criminal and civil cases for more than 30 years, didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday evening.

The firing of Hundley is the latest reflection of tumult in one of the Justice Department’s most elite prosecution offices, which since September has been mired in upheaval following the resignation of a veteran prosecutor amid Trump administration pressure to prosecute two of the president’s biggest political foes, former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

That prosecutor, Erik Siebert, was effectively forced out and swiftly replaced by Halligan, a White House aide who secured indictments against Comey and James but was later deemed by a judge to have been unlawfully appointed.

The cases were dismissed, but the Justice Department has appealed that decision.

The Albert V Bryan US Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia. Andrew Thomas – CNP for NY Post
Hundley was tapped to replace Lindsey Halligan as interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. AP

Halligan resigned from the position last month after judges in the district signaled continued skepticism over the legitimacy of her appointment.

US attorneys, the top federal prosecutors in regional Justice Department offices around the country, typically require Senate confirmation but the law does permit attorneys general to make temporary appointments for limited time periods.

In several instances, though, the Justice Department has attempted to leave its temporary appointees in place in ways that have invited court challenges and drawn resistance from judges who have found the appointments unlawful.

Last week, a lawyer appointed by judges to be the US attorney for northern New York was fired by the Justice Department after spending less than a day in the job.

Judges in the district appointed Kinsella after declining to keep the Trump administration’s pick, John Sarcone, in place after his 120-day term elapsed.