President-elect Donald Trump has nominated a top ally from the Republican National Committee to help oversee the Justice Department as he works to ensure that he never again crosses swords with the lawfare of the past eight years.In a post on Truth Social, the incoming president announced that Harmeet Dhillon would serve as Assistant U.S. Attorney General in the civil rights division, a position that requires Senate confirmation but garners far less scrutiny than the premier positions for a new administration, including the attorney general and Cabinet-level appointments. Dhillon, the Republican National Committeewoman for California, would serve under Pam Bondi, the former attorney general for Florida who replaced Matt Gaetz for the nomination should she herself be confirmed. Trump praised his latest pick as a freedom fighter for election integrity and who vocally opposed pandemic lockdowns.

“I am pleased to nominate Harmeet K. Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. Throughout her career, Harmeet has stood up consistently to protect our cherished Civil Liberties, including taking on Big Tech for censoring our Free Speech, representing Christians who were prevented from praying together during COVID, and suing corporations who use woke policies to discriminate against their workers. Harmeet is one of the top Election lawyers in the Country, fighting to ensure that all, and ONLY, legal votes are counted,” Trump wrote Monday evening. “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 brings formidable legal experience to the role. She is a graduate of Virginia Law School and previously clerked for the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, according to the Trump campaign. She is Sikh, adding a measure of diversity to a list of Trump appointments that the Republican has promised to round out with his most trusted allies.

At the RNC, Dhillon became most prominent when challenging former chair Ronna McDaniel during her 2023 reelection. Although Trump privately backed McDaniel, much of the MAGA movement lined up behind Dhillon, who promised to wipe clean the RNC’s history of backroom deals and prioritized consultants she claimed drove party accounts into the ground during previous cycles. Ever a team player, she backed McDaniel after losing the intra-party race. “Coming together is the beginning. Staying together is progress. But working together is success,” she said at the time, PBS reported. “We have to come together after this meeting and focus on what we have ahead of us.”

Also on Monday, President-elect Trump announced his endorsement of RNC member K.C. Crosbie to serve as the party’s next chair. “KC will work on continuing to ensure a highly functioning, fiscally responsible, and effective RNC that makes Election Integrity a highest priority,” Trump said. “KC Crosbie has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Co-Chair of the RNC!”