The president-elect announced the selections on his Truth Social account, nominating attorney Harmeet Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice and declaring that Mark Paoletta would return as General Counsel of the Office of Management and Budget.

Trump promoted Paoletta as “a conservative warrior who knows the ‘ins and outs’ of Government” and someone who would help “Make America Great Again!”

Trump said Paoletta would “work closely with our DOGE team to cut the size of our bloated Government bureaucracy, and root out wasteful and anti-American spending.”

Trump touted his experience as “a brilliant and tenacious lawyer, who worked tirelessly to advance my Agenda.” He mentioned Paoletta’s efforts to “identify funding to build the Southern Border Wall” and collaboration with previous OMD Director Russ Vought to “rein in woke and weaponized Government spending.”

Paoletta is a partner at a law firm in Washington, D.C. Previously, he was assistant counsel in President George H.W. Bush’s administration, Trump’s post noted. He also served as Chief Counsel for Oversight and Investigations for the House Energy and Commerce Committee. 

Trump also announced that he was nominating attorney Harmeet Dhillon to serve as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. Dhillon, who has a law firm in San Francisco, has a long history of defending civil rights and First Amendment issues. In addition to her law practice, Dhillon founded the Center for American Liberty in 2018. 

“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,” Trump posted on his Truth Social account.  

The president-elect recognized Dhillon’s career and diligent work in civil rights and election law matters.

“Harmeet is one of the top Election lawyers in the Country, fighting to ensure that all, and ONLY, legal votes are counted,” Trump’s post noted. “She is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia Law School, and clerked in the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. 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 expressed gratitude for the nomination and an eagerness to start working, with her own post on X. 

“I’m extremely honored by President Trump’s nomination to assist with our nation’s civil rights agenda,” Dhillon said. “It has been my dream to be able to serve our great country, and I am so excited to be part of an incredible team of lawyers led by @PamBondi. I cannot wait to get to work!”  

“I would not be here today without my amazing mother and brother’s support, and my beloved father Tejpal and husband Sarv, who did not live to see this day. I hope I will honor their memories, with God’s grace.”