Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, announced her resignation on Thursday. She is the first senior DOJ official to resign following massive midterm wins for Democrats.
A Republican attorney, Dhillon oversaw a massive overhaul of the Civil Rights Division, a unit created during the country's Civil Rights Movement to protect the rights of minorities. During her 18 tumultuous months in charge, she led investigations to pressure dozens of universities that the administration viewed as too liberal.
Dhillon has been a powerful and divisive figure inside President Donald Trump's Justice Department since her confirmation last year, where she dramatically changed the direction of the division.