Transcript

Trump’s Top Aide BUSTED ON TAPE as DEPARTMENT BLOWS UP

From MeidasTouch · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 21 min · 3,754 words · 37 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Trump’s Top Aide BUSTED ON TAPE as DEPARTMENT BLOWS UP", an episode of MeidasTouch published January 15, 2026 (21 min, about 3,754 words). It mentions 16 people, works and ideas, including Department of Labor, Lorie Chavez Darr, Donald Trump, Elvis Dan, Anthony P. Dpazito.

What this episode is about

Labor Secretary Lorie Chavez Dreamer is facing serious allegations, including inappropriate relationships with a subordinate and using taxpayer funds for lavish trips during a government shutdown. Investigations are underway following reports of her misconduct, which include claims from a whistleblower and documentation of her extravagant lifestyle, despite her official role requiring advocacy for workers' rights.

Key takeaways

  • When the Secretary of Labor parties on taxpayer dime, the irony is as rich as the champagne.
  • Chavez Dreamer's alleged misuse of official funds begs the question: Who really works for whom in D.C.?
  • As inflation soars, it's shocking that the Department of Labor's scandal isn't over a wage increase!
  • Under investigation by a fellow scandal magnet, the accountability game seems more like a sitcom than serious oversight.
  • In the land of 'one homeland,' the Department of Labor prioritizes lavish trips over the workers it's meant to protect.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: New York Post, Department of Labor, Lorie Chavez Darr, Donald Trump
  2. – 10:00: Department of Labor, Donald Trump, PRO Act, Lorie Chavez Darr
  3. – 15:00: Department of Labor, Donald Trump, Elvis Dan, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
  4. – 20:00: Donald Trump, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Department of Labor, East Wing
  5. – 21:09: Elvis Dan, Massachusetts 6th Congressional District

Notable quotes from "Trump’s Top Aide BUSTED ON TAPE as DEPARTMENT BLOWS UP"

  • Total and utter chaos is breaking out in the labor department as labor secretary Lorie Chavez Dreamer has been busted.
    about Department of Labor · at
  • Know who the inspector general is now who's investigating the claims? Can I just explain to you how corrupt the Trump regime is? Well, the inspector general is somebody by the…
    about Donald Trump · at
  • The worst. But she would pretend that she supported unions and workers. She pretended that she supported the PRO Act. But then during her confirmation in order to get confirmed…
    about PRO Act · at
  • It's so hard to get accurate data. they're just Do did you know this fact at the Bureau of Labor Statistics cuz they basically fired so many people.
    about Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) · at
  • For the Senate, which opens up that seat in Massachusetts 6th Congressional District. Dan's background, chief of staff at the Department of Labor. So, he knows a thing or two…
    about Elvis Dan · at
  • Standing by unions and if anything, the Department of Labor, but this is the trend, right? The same way the Department of Education attacks education, the same way the…
    about Department of Education · at
  • Very difficult circumstances and trying to operate with integrity. But I've heard that as much as 40% of the CPI data could be based on estimates or guesses without actually…
    about Consumer Price Index (CPI) · at
  • He's already seen. Just take one look at the corporations that donated to the East Wing. renovation is a very generous term. I would argue destruction, right? These are private…
    about East Wing · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Lorie Chavez Darr — Person · Core subject of episode / criticized official · 3 mentions · first at
    The episode centers on allegations that the Labor Secretary took lavish trips on taxpayer funds and had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate, triggering an inspector general investigation and staff being placed on leave.
    Total and utter chaos is breaking out in the labor department as labor secretary Lorie Chavez Dreamer has been busted.
  • Donald Trump — Person · Referenced political leader / target of criticism · 8 mentions · first at
    Presented as the driving force behind agency dysfunction and politicization; the Department of Labor is described as promoting pro-Trump messaging and being staffed by unqualified appointees.
  • Elvis Dan — Person · Main guest · 2 mentions · first at
    Interviewed as a former Department of Labor chief of staff and current congressional candidate, providing commentary on agency priorities, worker impacts, and the Massachusetts 6th race.
  • Anthony P. Dpazito — Person · Referenced investigator / criticized official · 1 mention · first at
    Identified as the inspector general now investigating the complaint involving Lorie Chavez Darr, while the host highlights alleged past ethics issues to argue conflict/hypocrisy.
    Look at him right here being sworn in as the ninth inspector general 5 days ago.
  • Seth Molton — Person · Referenced politician (district context) · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as the prior holder of the MA-6 seat and as running for Senate, which is described as opening the seat for Dan Co’s campaign.
    Running a podcast and not running for Congress. Just for reference, that seat is the seat previously held by Congress member Seth Molton, who's now running for the Senate…

Companies & orgs

  • Department of Labor — Company · Primary institution discussed · 16 mentions · first at
    The alleged misconduct, internal leave actions, and claims of politicized messaging occur within the Department of Labor; it is also discussed as central to worker protections and economic data credibility.
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) — Company · Referenced data authority / contested institution · 5 mentions · first at
    Discussed as having reduced capacity and morale, with claims that staffing losses undermine CPI data quality and that political pressure threatens objectivity.
  • East Wing — Company · Referenced White House unit (in corruption claim) · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned in the context of corporations donating to an “East Wing renovation,” used to argue private-sector influence and intimidation shaping data and governance.
  • Department of Education — Company · Comparative example in critique · 1 mention · first at
    Used rhetorically to claim agencies are acting contrary to their missions under Trump (Education Department “attacks education”).
  • Environmental Protection Agency — Company · Comparative example in critique · 1 mention · first at
    Cited as another agency allegedly undermining its mission (“attacks the environment”), reinforcing the broader governance critique.
    Department of Education attacks education, the same way the Environmental Protection Agency attacks the environment, right? The same way the Department of Defense now calls…
  • Department of Defense — Company · Comparative example in critique · 1 mention · first at
    Invoked to argue national security institutions are being misdirected (“calls itself war”), supporting the theme of institutional degradation.
    Environmental Protection Agency attacks the environment, right? The same way the Department of Defense now calls itself war and starts to make us less safe internationally and geopolitically, the State Department is not doing diplomacy.

Concepts & topics

  • Consumer Price Index (CPI) — Concept · Economic metric discussed · 6 mentions
    Central to the episode’s claims about unreliable government economic data; the host and guest discuss alleged estimation/guessing in CPI inputs and implications for inflation perception.
  • PRO Act — Concept · Policy concept / litmus test for labor stance · 3 mentions · first at
    Used to argue that Lorie Chavez Darr misrepresented her pro-union stance; she is described as abandoning support during confirmation, signaling anti-union policy direction.

Places & events

  • Massachusetts 6th Congressional District — Place · Electoral geography / campaign focus · 2 mentions · first at
    The district is the constituency Dan Co is running to represent; the conversation shifts to voter sentiment, campaign messaging, and the seat opening due to Seth Moulton’s Senate run (as stated).
    Dan is running for the sixth congressional district in Massachusetts.

Media & podcasts

  • New York Post — Media · Source outlet referenced · 3 mentions · first at
    Cited as publishing the “blockbuster report” that triggered broader discussion of the allegations and the inspector general complaint involving Lorie Chavez Darr.
    New York Post, she's under investigation for inappropriate relationships with a subordinate. And when that subordinate was contacted by the New York Post about the alleged…
  • Midas Touch Network — Media · Publishing platform / show network · 1 mention · first at
    The host references Dan Co’s prior appearances on the network and closes with subscription calls, situating the episode within Midas Touch’s media ecosystem.
    You know Dan because he's appeared on the Midas Touch Network before. I've appeared on his show when he was running a podcast and not running for Congress. Just for reference, that seat.

Full transcript with timestamps

Total and utter chaos is breaking out in the labor department as labor secretary Lorie Chavez Dreamer has been busted. And folks, there are videos and there are photos like these videos and photos as she was partying it up in October during the government shutdown. You see her right there at the Red Rocks Casino Resort in Las Vegas on the taxpayer dime. She is partying it up. And according to a blockbuster report by the New York Post, she's under investigation for inappropriate relationships with a subordinate. And when that subordinate was contacted by the New York Post about the alleged relationship that he was having with her, I got lawyers. I'm not going to talk to you. I've got nothing to say to you. Uh responding to the New York Post. Now, Lorie Chavez dar according to the New York Post is the subject of an inspector general's complaint, a complaint to the IG by uh an employee or by a whistleblower there

who got their hands on these photos and videos and who has made these allegations against Lorie Chavez Darr. She denies it, but after the New York Post story broke, um, her top aids were put on leave for allegedly aiding and abetting what could be described as fake or fraudulent trips. Again, Darr Shabz Darr denies this, but according to the allegations against her, she would love to take these lavish trips and vacations, and she would try to come up with some excuse to say why this was part of her functions at the Department of Labor in order to justify going to all of these locations. And apparently everybody at the Department of Labor was describing her as the boss from hell who would just make them do the most menial tasks, you know, for her and do errands for her. And she was using them all like her own personal assistant to live this glamorous life. You're the Secretary of Labor. You're supposed to be standing up

for unions and standing up for workers. But it seems all Lorie Chavez Dreamer wanted to do was go on these lavish trips according to the allegations. And again, she denies this, but have this what could be described potentially as an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. But get this as well. You know who the inspector general is now who's investigating the claims? Can I just explain to you how corrupt the Trump regime is? Well, the inspector general is somebody by the name of Anthony P. Dpazito. Does that name sound familiar to you? Anthony PD Espazito.

Look at him right here being sworn in as the ninth inspector general 5 days ago. Our mission, enforce the law, root out fraud, waste, abuse, and trafficking, and protect American workers and taxpayers without fear or favor. H where why does that sound familiar? Oh, is he the former Congress member who got voted out after having an affair and putting uh according to the allegations, an alleged affair and then allegedly putting the person he had an affair with on a payroll. Remember that story back on September 2024, he put his lover on the payroll. Daspazito, New York Republican, gave part-time jobs to both his lover and his fiance's daughter in possible violation of House ethics rules. And remember when he was asked about it and he ran away here, play this video of Dspazito right here, who's now the guy in charge of the investigation of Lorie Chavez Darr's inappropriate travel, inappropriate relationships with

subordinate where there are these photos and other videos and uh while her staff is on leave while this is all taking place. Oh, and there's other allegations about drinking on the job wi with with other people throwing parties in the Department of Labor building. I'm glad they're have I mean, while Americans can't afford things, while people can't afford homes, while we're in a jobs recession right now, while the American worker is suffering right now, as inflation continues to rise, as people are psychologically tortured, living paycheck to paycheck after luck, you don't have to get A PAYCHECK. LORIE SHOP IS REAMER. SHE'S LIVING THE LIFE. This is what's going on here. Play this clip of DSpazito for a second though running away.

Congressman, why'd you give your mistress a job? Congressman, do you have any comments?

Do you have any comments on Do you have any comment on giving your mistress a job?

Do you happy to give a card to anyone who wants one? Congressman, can you please do you have any comment on the story? Did you give your mistress a job? Congressman,

great. Congressman, are you going to cooperate with any ethics investigation? I want to share this with you today. You as well, just to remind you, what else is the Department of Labor doing? Well, they're posting uh basically Nazi propaganda. That's one of the things they're known for. That's what Lorie Chavez dar's doing. So, they'll post photos like this. Trust the plan and trust Trump. And then that's trust the plan, trust Hitler. Or they'll post one homeland, one people, one heritage. Remember, you are Americans. And that's literally a line that's translated, if you go back to Germany, that that one homeland, one people, one heritage, uh was what was one of these slogans of Hitler posting photos like this, the 13 colony Betsy Ross flag. And then remember what she would do during the meetings with Donald Trump, the cabinet meetings? Donald, we're going to see your big beautiful face on the on the

building on the Department of Labor building. She's turned the Department of Labor building into a shrine for Donald Trump with his with a gigantic banner Kim Jong-un style. Here, play this clip.

If you all haven't stopped by the Department of Labor, Mr. President, I invite you to see your big beautiful face on a banner in front of the Department of Labor because you are really the transformational president of the American worker along with the American flag and President Roosevelt and

and this despicable individual Lorie Chavez Daramer. She was a congress member from Oregon for a term and she lost fortunately because she's literally the worst. But she would pretend that she supported unions and workers. She pretended that she supported the PRO Act. But then during her confirmation in order to get to get confirmed in the Trump regime, she said she no longer supports the PRO act. And the PRO act is the piece of legislation that Democrats support which would enshrine all these critical rights to unions, collective bargaining rights, a a very important monumental union pro- union bill. It's called the PRO Act. She's against the union bill and she's the Department of Labor. Okay, here play this clip. But I also signed on to the proact because I wanted to be at that table and have those conversations. But I fully, fairly, and support states who want to protect their right to work. I have said

that to every senator that I have visited. So you no longer support the aspect of the PRO act that would have overturned state right to work laws.

Yeah. There were so many parts. That's a that's a yes. Yes. There. Yes, sir. No more questions.

Thank you, Senator. With that, I go to Senator Mur. And then here she is talking about how they don't really even have accurate data anymore at the Department of Labor. It's so hard to get accurate data. You know, they're just Do did you know this fact at the Bureau of Labor Statistics cuz they basically fired so many people. 40% of the CPI, the consumer price index is basically they're making up the numbers. They say they're estimating it, but it's just her and Trump basically coming up with the numbers. 40% just made up. And that's how they determine inflation right now. It's all BS. It's all garbage. And inflation's still rising even with their BS and garbage.

Here, play this clip. It's It's too late to get accurate data points. And like I said, the household surveys were not able to be done. And businesses submitted the passive uh information. So, is it a little too late? It's similar to the Fed a little too late on these interest rate drops. I'm looking forward to the December report on that that they will again step up as the president has often times asked them to pay attention to. But again, because of the Democratic shutdown, we don't have that accurate data for them to make a good decision.

And I think when it comes down to it that the American people just want a Department of Labor that can actually represent workers. I know what a novel concept not get involved into all of these scandals and controversies it seems. Whether it's the Department of Labor posting messages that like are literally a translation of stuff that Hitler would post back in Nazi Germany, whether it's them putting up these massive billboards of Donald Trump's face on the buildings, or whether it's Lorie Chavez Darr, the secretary for the Department of Labor, being engaged in the scandal that I just referenced involving a potential like relationship with an underling and trips to Vegas.

And well, now we hear the inspector generals is investigating this within the Department of Labor. But the Inspector General's, a former member of Congress who was involved in a potential extrammarital affair also and was embroiled in their own scandals. And this is the person who's going to be investigating Lorie Chavez Daramer. And at the end of the day, workers are the ones who are suffering. And you look at the data, we are in a jobs recession right now. Unemployment continues to uh climb. Workers in manufacturing and other sectors are suffering. And every time we see one of these revisions from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Department of Labor, it seems that they're always revised down. Remember the October numbers were revised down to like 178,000. And even though the December numbers came in positive, they were very soft. I forget if it was 45,000 or something, we haven't seen the

revisions there. So, I want to bring in a man who needs no introduction, but I'll give him an introduction. Dan Co. Dan is running for the sixth congressional district in Massachusetts. You know Dan because he's appeared on the Midas Touch Network before. I've appeared on his uh show when he was running a podcast and not running for Congress. Just for reference, that seat is the seat previously held by Congress member Seth Molton, who's now running for the Senate, which opens up that seat in Massachusetts 6th Congressional District. Dan's background, chief of staff at the Department of Labor. So, he knows a thing or two about that department and the controversies and scandals they're now dealing with right now and how it's impacting workers.

Because when Dan was there, he was fighting for the workers and that's what what was important back there. He also served as the deputy director of intergovernment affairs dealing with how you respond to catastrophic situations and actually preparedness, not taking away the resources from people. He was the chief of staff to the mayor of Boston and the deputy secretary for the cabinet at the White House. Quite the resume there, Dan. And he's a marathon runner who just finds time to run marathons apparently. But let's talk about what's going on right now at the Department of Labor and why this is a big deal, Dan. Then we'll talk about the congressional race.

Yeah. Look, I mean, the reality is at the end of the day, the one thing I learned most when serving in the administration is that most valuable resource isn't actually money. It actually isn't staff, but it's your time. And every minute that the Department of Labor is not focused on workers and we can talk about the different things that they should be doing right now uh is time taken away from making people's lives easier at the kitchen table which everyone is struggling with. Prices are still going up. There was a report that came out that said that uh you know it's above inflation uh once again. And so people are looking for leadership and looking for government to help them. That's what should be the point of our government is to help our most vulnerable. And these scandals that we're seeing, not just at the Department of Labor, but all across these different agencies, is once again

indicative of Donald Trump not focused on helping people and instead putting grossly unqualified people in these positions. This is what happens when you do that.

And this isn't the way government's supposed to work. No, at a basic at at a basic level, the Department of Labor is supposed to be representing workers and standing by unions and and if anything, the Department of Labor, but this is the trend, right? The same way the Department of Education attacks education, the same way uh the Environmental Protection Agency attacks the environment, right? The same way the Department of Defense now calls itself war and starts to make us less safe internationally and geopolitically, the State Department is not doing diplomacy.

It's basically the Department of War. I mean, it's basically So, it's every it's it's this whole thing. And I just think I mean, you're out there touring the sixth congressional district. I just think people are fed up with this the you know what Trump was a reality TV person and that stick in a dystopian way. I feel like we're all non-consensual extras in this like sicko reality show and we just want to go on with our lives and and and raise families whether it's the sixth in Massachusetts or wherever.

And look, I think the other thing that people are sick of is that they don't see Democrats fighting hard enough. There is so much going wrong in this administration and I think we oversimplify it because we're concerned that people aren't going to understand the nuance. People are smarter than that. The Department of Labor just eliminated the Women's Bureau. The Women's Bureau exists to make sure that there is things like equal pay, that the discrimination in the workplace is reduced, that we're having initiatives that protect women in the workplace.

They are fighting to take away pay from home health care workers. There was a rule that the Biden administration rolled out to essentially ensure minimum wage for any home healthcare worker in this country. Trump is actively working to rescend that. And by the way, it's not just rescending it. There's a typical process without getting into the weeds where they do an analysis. This is typical part of the process where you do an analysis to show the impact of what you're doing with a rule. Obama administration when they rolled out a rule like this had 50 pages worth of analysis. When Trump went to rescend it, he had three pages, right? These guys just don't give a Okay? They don't give a about workers. They don't give a about us. And that is the reality of this presidency. So, Democrats need to call that out every single day. We can't be afraid to do it.

And we can't underestimate the voting public who want this information, who want to take it to their neighbors and say, "This is what this president is actually doing. Don't believe his words, believe his actions." So, one quick question about the Department of Labor that was on my mind that, you know, and then I want to talk more about the sixth because I think this doesn't get enough attention. The CPI, the consumer price index, which is one of the metrics that's used to gauge, you know, the the inflation. I've heard that because the Bureau of Labor Statistics now has lost a lot of people there and you know and and a lot of the statistitians are gone or or they're not being able to do their work. The surveys that go out to the businesses, the quality of them has decreased. That's not to suggest that there aren't hardworking people still at Bureau of Labor who are doing their best under

very difficult circumstances and trying to operate with integrity. But I've heard that as much as 40% of the CPI data could be based on estimates or guesses without actually getting the data. And I say that because when you see inflation rising, you know, year-over-year, 2.7% was the latest reading. That's clearly still well above where the Fed wanted it to be. But whenever I speak to people and I don't want to extrapolate personal experiences for a broader data set when you go to a grocery store when it comes to your home energy prices it certainly at health care prices it certainly seems that the inputs that impact people are significantly higher than 2.7 I don't want to be conspiracy theorist person but how do we grapple with that seeming inongruity

I mean the reality is this is a president who doesn't want any reliable government data. What he wants essentially is to remove any objectivity from our government. And the Bureau of Labor Statistics has historically been the gold standard for the world. Trillions of dollars of decisions are made based on what the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes what's supposed to be monthly. Donald Trump does not want that because the other data that comes out that people make decisions off of are private sector data. And Donald Trump knows that he can control those people with the kind of intimidation he's already seen. Just take one look at the corporations that donated to the East Wing. Uh renovation is a very generous term. I would argue destruction, right? These are private sector organizations that want to be in Donald Trump's favor. So what do you think is going to happen when he starts applying pressure to them? Right? So he

is doing the same thing with the BLS. As you remember, he fired the commissioner for zero cause. He has a strained team that the morale is through the seller there. But that's all because he just wants to be able to promote the economy that he wants without any kind of data to argue against what he thinks is the right thing to say to the American people. He's trying to fool the American people and we can't fall for it. Talk about the six. Talk about the race. Touched on it a little bit, but you travel the sixth. What are you hearing?

What do you want the people there to know? I know there's a lot of mightest mighty out there in that district.

Look, the mightest mighty is strong out here. And what I hear over and over again is we need fighters. We need a fighter who isn't afraid to call out this president on everything that he does because you guys do it every day. The mainstream media keeps getting distracted with something crazier every single day. But we can't let this president off the hook. He is fundamentally not only destroying our democracy, but he is hurting the very things that this country and these people that I talk to every day are struggling with, right, and want help with. Government should be there to help our most vulnerable. They should be there to working hard to give people a little relief, to give people down payment assistance on their homes, to reduce the cost of groceries. Instead, Donald Trump is making it easier for people to prey on those people who are just trying to get by. And you know the other thing, Ben, I have two GermanI,

Irish Italian Lebanese Korean-American kids. I want them to grow up in a country that's proud of its diversity. The only reason why a Korean Lebanese guy even has a chance to be a congressman from his hometown district is because of my grandfather who came from an island off the coast of South Korea and was granted asylum here. It's because he came to an America that believed that immigrants are our strength. If you look at our rivals, if you look at Russia, if you look at China, they are 85 to 90% one ethnicity. The United States is not even close in its diversity rates in comparison. That is what got us here. That is what makes us unique. And we have a president who is espousing the absolute opposite of that. And we have to fight back against that because that is what makes us truly great.

Where can people learn more about the campaign and learn more about you? Uh co-forongress.com. That's kohhforongress.com. I'll be running all around the district and uh I hope to earn the vote of the mightest mighty who are listening right now.

Dan Co running for Massachusetts 6th congressional district. I thought my resume your resume is next level there Dan. You know, but more importantly than the resume. It's what you do. This is what I tell people when I teach it. You know, a resume is one thing, but where what you do with that background and where you choose to fight, I think is is very telling. and the fact that you put your name in for this race and you can be doing a lot of things, but devoting yourself to public service um says a lot. So, thanks for all the work you do, Deb.

Thank you, Ben, and thank you for all you do to fight for justice in this environment especially. We need you more than ever.

Thank you. And everybody, hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million subscribers. Want to stay plugged in? Become a subscriber to our Substack at midasplus.com. You'll get daily recaps from Ron Philipki, ad free episodes of our podcast, and more exclusive content only available at midasplus.com.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Trump’s Top Aide BUSTED ON TAPE as DEPARTMENT BLOWS UP"?

Ben Meiselas (Host), Dan Co (Guest).

What is "Trump’s Top Aide BUSTED ON TAPE as DEPARTMENT BLOWS UP" about?

Labor Secretary Lorie Chavez Dreamer is facing serious allegations, including inappropriate relationships with a subordinate and using taxpayer funds for lavish trips during a government shutdown. Investigations are underway following reports of her misconduct, which include claims from a whistleblower and documentation of her extravagant lifestyle, despite her official role requiring advocacy…

What is mentioned in this MeidasTouch episode?

16 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Department of Labor, Lorie Chavez Darr, Donald Trump, Elvis Dan, Anthony P. Dpazito, Consumer Price Index (CPI). Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Trump’s Top Aide BUSTED ON TAPE as DEPARTMENT BLOWS UP"?

The episode runs 21 min; the transcript is about 3,754 words in 37 timestamped sections.

More from MeidasTouch

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 24, 2026.