Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Nov 6: Indian-American lawyer Harmeet Kaur Dhillon has resigned as head of the US Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, marking the first high-profile departure from President Donald Trump’s administration following the Republican setback in the November 3 midterm elections.
Dhillon, who was serving as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, was nominated by Trump in December 2024 and sworn into office in April. Born in Chandigarh, she previously lived in London before moving to New York. Her legal firm had also been associated with Trump’s 2020 election campaign.
Announcing her resignation on X on Thursday, Dhillon described her tenure as Assistant Attorney General as the honour of a lifetime and thanked Trump for giving her the opportunity to serve.
She highlighted her administration’s efforts against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and initiatives to protect women's and girls' participation in sports, adding that she looked forward to her next assignment.
Dhillon did not cite any specific reason for stepping down or attribute her decision to disagreements within the administration.
Her departure comes amid growing dissatisfaction among some Republican leaders and supporters over the administration's policies, particularly the war involving Iran and trade tariffs. Some Republicans have also attributed the party's midterm performance to the conflict.
Trump, however, blamed the stock market's sharp decline following the election results for the setback. In a post on Truth Social, he said the market had suffered one of its worst days and claimed that the election outcome had affected retirement savings. He also blamed the Democrats for the decline and expressed confidence that Republicans would recover.
The election results have shifted control of Congress towards the Democrats, with the party securing majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, according to the report.
The political setback has raised questions about the future direction of the Trump administration. However, analysts cited in the report expect no immediate major changes to the President's policies, even as attention turns towards the next presidential election in 2028.