Harmeet Dhillon has resigned as the assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, she confirmed in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. Dhillon stated that she had decided to leave weeks before the midterm elections and that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles had requested she delay her departure until after the vote.
Dhillon formally submitted her resignation letter on November 5. She informed Wiles three weeks prior to Election Day of her intention to return to private practice, feeling she had accomplished her objectives in Washington.
Dhillon was nominated by President Donald Trump in December 2024 and confirmed by the Senate in April 2025. Her tenure saw a significant overhaul of the Civil Rights Division's priorities, focusing on issues such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), race-conscious policies, religious discrimination, transgender participation in women's sports, Second Amendment rights, and election integrity.
During her approximately 19-month term, Dhillon worked to rebuild the division's ranks, recruiting over 130 lawyers. Before her government service, Dhillon founded the Dhillon Law Group and the Center for American Liberty, where she litigated cases involving the First Amendment, election law, and other civil rights matters. She was a notable conservative attorney and an ally of Trump.
Her appointment had faced opposition from Democrats and some civil rights organizations, while conservatives viewed her as a way to reorient a division they believed had become ideologically unbalanced under previous administrations. Dhillon expressed satisfaction with the changes made during her time, stating, "We changed it, and that's what we came here to do. And it's done."