Trump nominates Indian-American Harmeet Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights

Born in Chandigarh, Harmeet Dhillon hit the headlines during Donald Trump’s campaign for reciting Sikh prayer Ardas at the Republican National Convention in July, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday nominated Indian-American Harmeet K. Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice.

Also read: Indian-American Jay Bhattacharya is Donald Trump’s pick to lead National Institutes of Health

“I am pleased to nominate Harmeet K. Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice,” Mr. Trump announced on Truth Social, a social media platform owned by him.

“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,” he said.

“Harmeet is one of the top election lawyers in the country, fighting to ensure that all, and ONLY, legal votes are counted. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia Law School, and clerked in the US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals,” Mr. Trump said.

“Harmeet is a respected member of the Sikh religious community. In her new role at the DOJ, Harmeet will be a tireless defender of our constitutional rights, and will enforce our civil rights and election laws FAIRLY and FIRMLY,” said the President-elect.

Also read: Trump nominates Indian American Kash Patel as FBI Director

Ms. Dhillon was subject to racial attack after she recited Ardas at the Republican National Convention in July this year. Last year she unsuccessfully ran for the position of Republican National Committee chairmanship.

Chandigarh-born Ms. Dhillon, 54, moved to the United States when she was a child along with her parents. In 2016, she was the first Indian-American to appear on the stage of the GOP Convention in Cleveland.