Top US Justice Department civil rights official Harmeet Dhillon resigns
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon's departure comes as Democrats prepare congressional probes into ICE shootings and the Epstein files.
At a glance
- Harmeet Dhillon, who led DOJ's civil rights division, resigned, Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Thursday.
- Dhillon is the first senior Trump administration official to quit since Democrats won both chambers of Congress in Tuesday's midterms.
- Democrat Robert Garcia, likely the next House Oversight chair, plans investigations into ICE shootings and the Epstein files.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who headed the US Department of Justice's civil rights division, has resigned, Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Thursday.
Blanche announced the departure in a post on X. "Today, I accepted the resignation of Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon," he wrote. "She has defended the civil liberties of every American and enforced the law without fear or favor."
The Justice Department referred Al Jazeera to Blanche's social media post when asked when Dhillon submitted her resignation. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A top Trump ally, Dhillon was confirmed to the role in April 2025. She oversaw a dramatic overhaul of the civil rights division, which is tasked with enforcing anti-discrimination laws. Last December, hundreds of former Justice Department officials signed a letter decrying the "destruction" of the division under Trump.
Dhillon is the first high-ranking official to resign from the Trump administration since Democrats swept both chambers of Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections.
Investigations expected
Democratic congressman Robert Garcia, who is likely to become the next chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, pledged on Wednesday to take on four major investigations. These include abuses of power by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and the Epstein files.
Dhillon reportedly told her staff earlier this year that her office — typically charged with investigating law enforcement killings by police officers — would not look into the fatal shootings of two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
In May, Garcia accused the administration of shielding Trump from scrutiny over unreleased documents tied to the Epstein investigation. During a closed-door hearing in which Blanche's predecessor, Pam Bondi, was questioned about the case, Garcia alleged Dhillon repeatedly intervened to block questions about the president's connection to the release of the files.
The resignation comes as the Trump administration prepares for a flurry of congressional investigations into shootings by immigration agents and the Epstein files.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Who is Harmeet Dhillon?
- Dhillon was the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the US Justice Department's civil rights division, confirmed in April 2025. She oversaw a major overhaul of the division, which enforces anti-discrimination laws.
- Why did Harmeet Dhillon resign?
- The source does not give a reason. Attorney General Todd Blanche said he accepted her resignation in a post on X, and the Justice Department referred questions about the timing to that post.
- What will the Democratic congressional investigations cover?
- Representative Robert Garcia, likely the next House Oversight chair, pledged four major investigations, including abuses of power by ICE agents and the Epstein files.
