Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Nov. 9 that he had accepted the resignation of Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate, who led the Department of Justice’s Civil Division, according to a post Blanche made on X.
Blanche credited Shumate’s tenure with pursuing “affirmative litigation to challenge sanctuary policies” and delivering “key wins in lawsuits against local policies that endangered federal law enforcement.” He also wrote that the division “secured historic settlements to end illegal corporate DEI practices and shuttered dozens of clinics which were providing so-called ‘gender affirming care’ to minors.”
Shumate’s exit follows the Nov. 5 resignation of Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who led the Civil Rights Division. Blanche praised her work over “the past 18 months.”
Dhillon, who runs a California-based law firm, told Fox News Digital in August that she planned to return to her practice once her DOJ tenure ended. After the midterms, she told the outlet: “I wasn’t asked to resign. I resigned three weeks ago, and Susie [Wiles] asked me to please wait until after the midterms.”
The departures are part of a broader exodus from the department. ABC News reported that South Florida U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quinones and National Security Division head John Eisenberg have also left the DOJ.
A confirmation deadline looms
The Civil Division’s top post requires Senate confirmation, and Western Journal reported that Republicans would need to act quickly to fill the seat before the new Congress is sworn in. The outlet noted it remains unclear whether the Trump administration will push for a swift confirmation through the current lame-duck GOP Congress or wait until next year, when Democrats take control of both chambers.
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