President-elect Trump’s choice to lead civil rights division at the Department of Justice has a unique history.
Harmeet Dhillon is considered a strong defender of Donald Trump who once served on the Board of the Northern California Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund heralded the selection of Dhillon, saying in a statement sent to AsAmNews that her “nomination underscores the progress our community has made in gaining recognition and representation at the highest levels of government.”
The Independent reports she has also been leading the crusade against transgender rights and supported efforts by Trump to reverse the election results in 2020.
“Harmeet has stood up consistently to protect our cherished civil liberties,” said Trump on social media.
During the Republican convention this summer, she recited a Sikh prayer, drawing ridicule from bigots on social media.
Dhillon is the former vice chair of the Northern California Republican Party.
Born in Chandigarh, India she is a regular commentator on Fox News and she launched the non-profit the Center for American Liberty which has filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of right-wing causes.
“I’m extremely honored by President Trump’s nomination to assist our nation’s civil rights agenda. It has been my dream to be able to serve our great country, and I am so excited to be part of an incredible team of lawyers led by Pam Bondi (Trump’s nominee for Attorney General). I can’t wait to get to work,” she wrote on X.
Dhillon is the fourth Indian American nominated by Trump. The others are Kahyap Patel (FBI), Dr. Jay Bhattacharya (National Institutes of Health) and Vivek Ramaswamy (Dept of Government Efficiency).
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
We’re now on BlueSky. You can now keep up with the latest AAPI news there and on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and X.
We are supported by generous donations from our readers and by such charitable foundations as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
You can make your tax-deductible donations here via credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and Venmo. Stock donations and donations via DAFs are also welcomed.
