Labor secretary latest Trump cabinet member to depart

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned from her role Monday amid a reported internal investigation. She was taking a position in the private sector, she said Monday. White House communications director Steven Cheung confirmed her departure Monday evening. Deputy Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling is serving as acting secretary, Cheung added.

Chavez-DeRemer said it was an honor and a privilege to work for President Donald Trump’s administration. She previously served one term as a Republican congresswoman from Oregon.

Why was Chavez-DeRemer being investigated? Several news outlets reported that her conduct was under investigation by the Labor Department's inspector general. Authorities were looking into allegations that she had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate and used taxpayer money to travel to friends and family, according to some of the reports. But Chavez-DeRemer said Monday that the allegations against her and her family were peddled by what she characterized as high-ranked deep state actors.

What other cabinet members have recently left? Chavez-DeRemer’s departure marked the third cabinet member to leave during President Trump's second term. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stepped down in March, and Attorney General Pamela Bondi left a month later. Trump announced both of these departures on social media, but had not announced Chavez-DeRemer’s exit as of Tuesday morning.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on Trump’s move to replace Bondi.