‘Do They Sell by the Bottle?’ Texts Reportedly Show Embattled Labor Secretary Ordering Aide To Bring Her Wine 

Nikos Frazier/Omaha World-Herald via AP

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, top department officials, and even members of her family regularly sent text messages to young staffers to ask for favors, according to a review by the Labor inspector general’s office.

On Wednesday, The New York Times published yet another unflattering account of Chavez-DeRemer’s tenure at the department, which has been marred by reports of bizarre personal and professional faux pas, including potential ethics violations.

In one exchange from April 2025, DeRemer’s father, Richard Chavez, texted a young female staffer, “Hearing u/r in town. Wishing you would let me know. I could have made some excuses to get out and show u around. Please keep this private.”

The staffer apologized for not apprising the secretary’s father of her travel plans, and replied, “Will do, no need to worry!”

“When are u leaving an where u staying,” Chavez responded.

Weeks later, the same staffer texted the secretary’s husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, an anesthesiologist, and also apologized for not reaching out to him.

“I’ve been having so much fun traveling with LCD and being in the moment for everything!! I promise from now on I’ll check in,” she wrote.

“You better. I was feeling forgotten. I figured you were still in church repenting after your exposure to the demon state of Oregon,” DeRemer responded.

In February, DeRemer was banned from the Department of Labor after at least two female employees said he touched them inappropriately. The incidents were reportedly recorded by security cameras. The secretary’s husband has no role in the department. The allegations were made public a month after Chavez-DeRemer was reported to have taken subordinates to a strip club.

The Labor Department’s inspector general is also reviewing allegations that the secretary and aides drank on the job. The Times report published on Wednesday said text messages show Chavez-DeRemer, who reportedly keeps a liquor stash in her office, asking a staffer to bring wine to her hotel room:

In one text message, Ms. Chavez-DeRemer asked a staff member to bring rosé to her hotel room.

“Do they sell by the bottle,” she asked. The staff member responded that they did, but were out of rosé. Ms. Chavez-DeRemer responded with another selection: “How about the josh sauvi B.”

The messages are undated, but a picture of the menu in the text message exchange suggests it is from a hotel bar in Myrtle Beach, S.C., where Ms. Chavez-DeRemer went on an official visit last July.

The reference to “josh sauvi b” appears to be a reference to Josh Cellars Sauvignon Blanc.

The secretary and her husband did not respond to the Times for comment.

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