After the crushing defeat of the Republican Party in the US mid-term elections, there has been a major change in the administration of President Donald Trump. The resignation process has begun in the Trump administration. Indian-American Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon has resigned as head of the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice.
Harmeet Dhillon is the first senior official to leave the Trump administration since the US midterm elections. Attorney General Todd Blanch confirmed his resignation on November 5, 2026. Sharing a post on social media, Blanch said Dhillon led the Civil Rights Department with full confidence. He has protected the civil liberties of every American and enforced the law without fear or favor, Todd Blanch said in the post. The Department is grateful for his dedicated public service and wishes him success in his future endeavours.
Took over this position in April 2025
Dhillon assumed the post in April 2025 and held the charge for about 18-19 months. He has clarified that he had decided to resign before the election results. Dhillon said that about three weeks ago he expressed his desire to resign, but White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles urged him to stay on until the midterm elections.
Born in a Sikh family
Born in a Punjabi Sikh family in Chandigarh, Harmeet Dhillon’s family first moved to London and later settled in America. Dhillon, a close associate of President Donald Trump, ran his own law firm in San Francisco for several years before being appointed to the Justice Department.
What did Dhillon say about the resignation?
Dhillon also reacted to his resignation on social media on Thursday. He said that serving the country as Assistant Attorney General (AAG) for Civil Rights was the greatest honor of his life. He claimed that during his tenure, work was done to eliminate illegal DEI (Diversity, Equality and Inclusion) policies. Apart from this, measures were also taken on issues like safety of women and girls sports. He thanked President Trump for the opportunity and said he was excited for the opportunities ahead.
Harmeet Dhillon’s journey
Harmeet Dhillon worked as an Assistant Attorney General for about a year and a half. Prior to this, she was a legal advisor to Trump’s election campaign. During his tenure there were changes in the operation of the Civil Rights Division. Earlier the main function of this department was to enact laws related to giving people the right to vote and police reform. But Dhillon changed the department’s priorities in line with the Trump administration’s policies. She opposed what she called ‘awakening ideology’. She was also very active on social media. In addition to decisions related to civil rights, she also shared posts related to her interest in knitting.
More than 75 percent of employees have quit their jobs
Dhillon also supported right-wing issues such as the right to bear arms. He also introduced a separate section in the section for this right under the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. During Dhillon’s tenure, the Civil Rights Division saw a significant reduction in staffing. More than 75 percent of the department’s employees have quit their jobs or been laid off. After this Dhillon appointed several lawyers with conservative views. However, the number and experience of the new employees could not make up for the deficiency of the old employees.
Democratic Party Accused of Election Fraud
In the weeks since her resignation, Harmeet Dhillon appeared to recuse herself from several major election cases in the Justice Department. The department initiated several such cases related to Trump’s allegations that he accused the Democratic Party of rigging the election. Trump was particularly interested in these matters, but Dhillon’s role in them gradually diminished.
Dhillon had a setback in matters related to the electoral roll
Harmeet Dhillon has received a big blow in the matter related to the voter list. He filed lawsuits in several states demanding that the names of non-US citizens be removed from the voter rolls. However, courts across the country dismissed these cases. The judges expressed concern that these efforts could affect people’s voting rights or misuse their personal information.
Harmeet Dhillon also took action against some universities. These institutions were accused of anti-Semitism and discrimination against predominantly white students. However, the Justice Department has not had much success in these cases compared to the courts. Some universities agreed to take measures to prevent anti-Semitism.
