Harmeet Dhillon resigns as head of DOJ civil rights division

Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general who has led the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, announced on Thursday that she is resigning.

Dhillon said she had decided weeks ago to leave, but that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles asked her to hold off until after Tuesday's midterm elections. In a letter reviewed by news outlets, she said she told Wiles of her plan in early October. Attorney General Todd Blanche said he had accepted the resignation and praised her service. She plans to return to private practice with her California-based firm, Dhillon Law Group.

Her departure follows what the Associated Press described as a radical overhaul of the division, which enforces federal laws on voting rights, discrimination and related issues. During more than 18 months in the post she reoriented the office toward priorities favored by President Donald Trump, including challenges to diversity policies at universities and a sharper focus on gun owners' rights, while large numbers of career lawyers left the division.

Her exit comes two days after Democrats won control of Congress, which means the Justice Department can expect closer oversight when the new Congress takes office in January. Several news organizations described the resignation as one of the first senior departures from the administration after the midterm results.

No successor has been named. The division remains responsible for enforcing civil rights statutes while the White House and Congress prepare for divided government.