Trump taps MAGA loyalist Harmeet Dhillon for civil rights role at Justice Department

Washington DC - President-elect Donald Trump recently announced that he has tapped MAGA attorney Harmeet Dhillon to be Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the US Department of Justice in his upcoming administration.

President-elect Donald Trump nominated California-based attorney Harmeet Dhillon for the Department of Justice's civil rights division.
President-elect Donald Trump nominated California-based attorney Harmeet Dhillon for the Department of Justice's civil rights division.  © Collage: ALEX WONG / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & Nicholas Kamm / AFP

On Tuesday, Trump shared a post to his Truth Social platform, vowing that Dhillon will be "a tireless defender" of civil rights.

"Throughout her career, Harmeet has stood up consistently to protect our cherished civil liberties, including taking on big tech for censoring our free speech, representing Christians who were prevented from praying together during COVID, and suing corporations who use woke policies to discriminate against their workers," Trump wrote.

"Harmeet is one of the top Election lawyers in the Country, fighting to ensure that all, and ONLY, legal votes are counted," he added.

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In a reaction shared on X, Dhillon said she was "extremely honored" to be nominated, and is "excited" to work with Trump's pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi.

What Harmeet Dhillon could bring to her new role

Harmeet Dhillon speaking to the media during the 2023 Republican National Committee Winter Meeting in Dana Point, California, on January 27, 2023.
Harmeet Dhillon speaking to the media during the 2023 Republican National Committee Winter Meeting in Dana Point, California, on January 27, 2023.  © Patrick T. FALLON / AFP

Since his election day victory, Trump has been stacking his cabinet and administration with MAGA loyalists, and Dhillon is no exception.

As a California-based attorney, she built a reputation for fighting for conservative pet causes, such as voting right laws, Covid restrictions, and "free speech" cases involving high-profile right wing figures like Tucker Carlson.

She has also become one of the biggest defenders of Trump's unfounded 2020 election fraud claims, and during the 2024 race, she again sowed doubt in the electoral process.

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If successfully appointed to the role – which will require Senate approval – she will oversee civil rights cases brought to the DOJ, some of which may concern issues of discrimination against marginalized groups, such as minorities and the LGBTQ+ people.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson told the Washington Post that he is "concerned with the approach this nominee will take as it relates to protecting the rights of all communities and ensuring equal protections to all sides, not only the majority."

"If confirmed, she will be sitting in a seat in which Americans would hope she pursues issues based on facts that are aligned with our Constitution and are squarely within legal precedents and not go and stretch that notion as the top person in the civil rights division," Johnson added. "We don't need to manufacture issues."

Cover photo: Collage: ALEX WONG / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & Nicholas Kamm / AFP

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