Dhillon decided to resign after it became clear that she would not be considered for promotion, a DOJ source told NR.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice, Harmeet Dhillon, resigned Thursday morning to return to private practice.
During her tenure, Dhillon remade the Civil Rights Division into an instrument of the Trump administration’s broader anti-DEI agenda. She redirected enforcement toward alleged discrimination against white Americans, now-illegal affirmative action admissions practices, and expanded the department’s election-integrity efforts.
Dhillon is the first high-ranking Trump ally to depart since Democrats retook control of the House and Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
“In early October, I informed the President’s team of my intent to return to private practice after the election. Now that the election is over, I am moving forward with these plans,” Dhillon wrote in an email obtained by National Review.
“Please continue the great work on behalf of the American people that we started,” Dhillon wrote. “And always remember to do the right things for the right reasons.”
Dhillon confirmed her resignation Thursday afternoon in an X post, writing, “Serving my country as AAG for Civil Rights has been the honor of a lifetime. We ushered in the downfall of illegal DEI, we fought to protect women and girls’ sports, and so much more. I want to thank President Trump for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to what’s next!”
“She has defended the civil liberties of every American and enforced the law without fear or favor,” Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote on X. “The Department is grateful for her dedicated public service, and we wish her every success in her future endeavors.”
Dhillon was a close ally of former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who resigned in April after intense pressure from the White House over her handling of the Epstein files. After Bondi’s resignation, Dhillon angled for a promotion inside the DOJ, and resigned when it was apparent she would not be tapped for a higher position, according to one Justice Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“Serving in this role for the past eighteen months was the greatest professional honor of my life. I’m proud of all we’ve accomplished during this time to ensure our nation’s civil rights laws protect every American,” Dhillon’s internal email read.
The Justice Department official said Dhillon had been in Florida this week with no intention of returning to Washington, DC. She was listed as a speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) circle retreat and gala at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort this afternoon.
She did not respond to a request for comment on her resignation.