In Partisan Vote, Senate Confirms Harmeet Dhillon

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC – In a sharply divided vote that fell largely along party lines, the U.S. Senate on April 4 confirmed Harmeet Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in a 52-45 decision. Only one Republican, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, broke ranks to join Democrats in opposing the confirmation.

Dhillon, a longtime conservative attorney and vocal ally of former President Donald Trump, will now oversee key areas of the Justice Department’s work — including hate crime prosecutions, voting rights litigation, and investigations into discriminatory practices by law enforcement agencies.

Trump first announced Dhillon’s nomination in December 2023 via Truth Social, hailing her as a stalwart defender of constitutional freedoms. “Throughout her career, Harmeet has stood up consistently to protect our cherished Civil Liberties,” Trump wrote. He cited her lawsuits against Big Tech, legal action on behalf of Christians during COVID-19 restrictions, and efforts to combat what he called “woke” workplace policies. “Harmeet is one of the top Election lawyers in the Country,” he added, “fighting to ensure that all, and ONLY, legal votes are counted.”

Dhillon had drawn racist comments after her recital of a Sikh prayer at the Republican National Convention where Trump was present. In announcing the nomination, Trump pointed to her faith saying, “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.”

Dhillon, a former official in the California Republican Party and a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia Law School, has become a central figure in Trump’s legal orbit. She served as a legal adviser during his 2020 campaign, where she promoted lies of widespread voter fraud — particularly in Pennsylvania, a state that President Joe Biden won legitimately.

Her firm, Dhillon Law Group, has filed more than a dozen lawsuits in at least eight states, many aimed at undermining voting rights, challenging election procedures, or defending Trump’s eligibility to remain on the 2024 ballot following his role in the January 6 insurrection, several media outlets have pointed out.

Critics have raised alarm over her appointment to a role traditionally tasked with defending civil rights. HuffPost noted the paradox of assigning someone who has consistently attacked voting protections to now oversee them for millions of Americans. Similarly, MSNBC highlighted her failed 2022 attempt to unseat Ronna McDaniel as chair of the Republican National Committee. Dhillon’s campaign for RNC leadership leaned heavily on expanding the GOP’s legal arsenal to fight election outcomes and limit access to voting, it said.