REPORT: Excessive-Profile DOJ Official Anticipated To Obtain Promotion
Harmeet Dhillon, who currently serves as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, is expected to receive a promotion to the position of Associate Attorney General, according to a report from CBS News.
The associate attorney general is the third-highest ranking official at the department and oversees several key components, including the Civil Rights Division, Antitrust Division, Civil Division, Environment and Natural Resources Division, grant-making offices, and the trustee program.
Dhillon assumed her current role in April 2025 after President Donald Trump nominated her shortly after his election victory in 2024. She succeeded Kristen Clarke, who had led the division under the prior administration.
Prior to her appointment, Dhillon practiced law at the Dhillon Law Group and held roles in Republican Party organizations, including as vice chair of the California Republican Party and Republican National Committeewoman for California. Her legal work has included cases involving election law, free speech, and civil rights issues.
In her current role, Dhillon has organized a massive overhaul of the division, which largely focused on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) issues under the previous administration. As a result of the shift, the department has tackled issues like election integrity, anti-Christian discrimination and anti-white discrimination, which were essentially ignored prior to her tenure.
Harmeet Dhillon speaking with attendees at the 2024 AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Photo: Gage Skidmore
Reports of Dhillon’s promotion began to swirl earlier this week amid wider shake-ups at the Justice Department. On Saturday, CBS News reported that the department was considering a move to promote Dhillon and demote current Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward.
On Sunday, the Daily Wire reported that President Trump does indeed plan to nominate Dhillon for the senior position. The article, which cited a source familiar with the matter, described the move as a promotion from her current position heading the Civil Rights Division.
It added that Woodward had resigned from the associate attorney general position earlier on Saturday. According to the Daily Wire, Trump informed former Attorney General Pam Bondi of the change shortly before she was let go.
Woodward, the outgoing associate attorney general, previously served as a defense attorney for several Trump allies, including in cases related to the January 6 Capitol protests and the Biden DOJ’s bogus classified documents case against President Trump.
No official announcement of Dhillon’s nomination had been issued by the White House as of this report.