Harmeet Dhillon, U.S. assistant attorney general for civil rights, who led the Department of Justice’s efforts to file lawsuits against universities accused of antisemitism, resigned on Thursday.
“Today, I accepted the resignation of assistant attorney general Harmeet Dhillon, who led the civil rights division with conviction the past 18 months,” stated Todd Blanche, U.S. attorney general.
“She has defended the civil liberties of every American and enforced the law without fear or favor,” he stated. “The department is grateful for her dedicated public service, and we wish her every success in her future endeavors.”
Dhillon told Fox News that she submitted her resignation three weeks ago and was asked by Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff, to delay leaving until after the midterms. She told the outlet she had “accomplished everything” she sought to do in government and was returning to private legal practice. (JNS sought comment from Dhillon and the Justice Department.)
As the head of the department’s civil rights division, Dhillon was at the forefront of the Trump administration’s efforts to investigate and sue schools like Harvard University for alleged discrimination against Jews in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel.
The department has had a mixed record in those lawsuits and investigations, with some schools like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reaching settlements with the administration, while the Harvard lawsuit was dismissed in August.
Dhillon reportedly clashed within the department with Leo Terrell, head of the Justice Department-led task force on combating Jew-hatred, who was tapped at the start of the second Trump term to serve as Dhillon’s senior counsel.
The New York Times reported in August that the two had disagreed about negotiations with Columbia University to settle complaints of anti-Jewish discrimination against it, which expanded into a personal dispute about Terrell’s television appearances and the tenor of email exchanges between the two.
Terrell confirmed that reporting to Jewish Insider in September, describing it as “accurate, 100%.”
“The wrong people are in charge,” Terrell told the outlet.
The California Republican Party said that it was “grateful” for Dhillon’s service.
“She has been a tireless advocate for the Constitution, free speech, religious liberties, the Second Amendment, election integrity, the California Republican Party and the conservative movement,” it said.
