Harmeet Dhillon, controversial head of DoJ’s civil rights division, steps down
Dhillon is first high-level justice department official to leave after historic Republican defeat in 2026 midterms
TL;DR
- Harmeet Dhillon, a Donald Trump ally and head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, has resigned.
- Her leadership reoriented the division away from protecting minority civil rights.
- The division dropped cases alleging discrimination against racial minorities.
- Dhillon pursued claims of discrimination at universities, focusing on alleged unfair favorability towards minorities and antisemitism.
- Critics accuse her of wielding the department's power to threaten officials and workers in "spurious cases."
- She sometimes revealed investigations publicly on X, a departure from department practice.
- Dhillon has used offensive language publicly, including a slur for people with disabilities.
- Before her role, Dhillon was vice-chair of the California GOP and worked on lawsuits contesting the 2020 election results.