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Trump Names Craig Trainor to Lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division After Dhillon’s Departure
By Eleanor Ever Loyal
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President Donald Trump has appointed Craig Trainor as the next chief of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, according to MS NOW, replacing Harmeet Dhillon after her departure from the administration last week.
Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the appointment Tuesday night, November 10, MS NOW reported. The source did not include a statement from Trump, Blanche, Trainor or Dhillon beyond the announcement itself.
Trainor comes to the position from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he serves as assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity. His previous positions include senior special counsel with the House Judiciary Committee under Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio and senior litigation counsel with the America First Policy Institute.
The appointment follows a turbulent departure by Dhillon, who, according to MS NOW’s reporting, left amid conflicts with Blanche and other Justice Department leaders. MS NOW did not report the exact date of her departure.
A senior administration official who spoke to MS NOW on condition of anonymity said Dhillon had shared her intention to leave with former White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. The official said Wiles privately urged Dhillon to delay her resignation until after the elections.
MS NOW reported that Dhillon was the first of several administration officials to depart following the Republican Party’s midterm losses. According to the outlet’s reporting, some White House leaders viewed the timing as an embarrassment amid the Democratic midterm wave and the shift of both chambers of Congress to Democratic control.
Trainor’s background also includes a prominent role in shaping the administration’s approach to civil-rights enforcement. He authored a “Dear Colleague” letter in February 2025. A biography of Trainor published on the Federalist Society’s website describes that letter as “widely considered the Trump administration’s blueprint for enforcing civil rights laws and restoring the Constitution’s promise of equal protection.”
MS NOW described Trainor as taking over a Civil Rights Division “profoundly changed by his predecessor.” In its account of Dhillon’s tenure, the outlet reported that she used the office to pursue culture-war grievances and to roll back efforts addressing racial injustice.
Specifically, MS NOW reported that Dhillon’s division targeted universities over diversity initiatives, pushed anti-transgender policies, dismissed complaints alleging civil-rights violations against Black Americans and abandoned law-enforcement reform efforts. Those descriptions are MS NOW’s characterization of Dhillon’s tenure and are not established independently in the source pack.
The appointment leaves several significant procedural questions unanswered.
MS NOW’s report does not establish whether Trainor will serve permanently, whether he has been nominated to the position or whether he will serve in an acting capacity. A permanent nomination would require Senate confirmation. The report also does not specify when Trainor will formally take over the division.
Nor does the available reporting provide an exact date for Dhillon’s departure.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division will therefore receive a new leader against a backdrop of reported internal conflict and a division whose recent direction MS NOW describes as substantially reshaped under Dhillon. Trainor’s record in housing policy, congressional legal work and conservative policy advocacy provides the documented background to his selection, while the terms and duration of his new role remain unclear from the reporting available Tuesday night.
For now, the confirmed development in the source report is the appointment announced by Blanche: Trainor is set to succeed Dhillon as the Justice Department’s next Civil Rights Division chief, with key questions about his formal status, start date and any permanent nomination still unanswered.
— Eleanor Ever Loyal, National Desk
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