Indian-origin former US Justice Department official Harmeet Kaur Dhillon has broken her silence on the backlash she faced for offering a Sikh prayer at the 2024 Republican National Convention (RNC), revealing that her late husband watched the prayer from home and told her he was proud of her just weeks before his death.
In an emotional statement, Dhillon said she had remained silent for nearly two years because of her involvement in Donald Trump's presidential campaign, her confirmation process and subsequent role in his administration. With her resignation as head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, she said she would no longer hold back.
“My husband watched me pray in our Sikh faith at the RNC — and one of our last text messages before he died a couple of weeks later was telling me he was so proud of me,” she wrote.
Dhillon revealed that her husband was supposed to accompany her to the convention but could not attend at the last minute as he was battling two serious illnesses. Medical staff looked after him at home as he watched her pray, a practice she said was also part of their daily family routine before meals.
Her remarks have brought renewed attention to the Sikh community's visibility in American public life and the criticism she faced for bringing her faith to one of the biggest political platforms in the United States.
Hitting back at those who had denigrated her prayer, Dhillon said their remarks had deeply hurt her. She also challenged her critics to examine her record on religious freedom rather than question her faith.
“Go read the First Amendment and my extensive record on behalf of ALL people of faith in America. For 34 years,” she said, adding that she would continue fighting for religious liberty for the rest of her life.
“But I won’t hide my own faith for one second. It’s protected by our Constitution,” she added.
Dhillon's remarks came days after she resigned from the Justice Department on November 5, following a major setback for Trump's Republicans in the US midterm elections.
Her departure was followed by the resignations of two other senior officials — National Security Division chief John Eisenberg and Florida's top federal prosecutor Jason Reding Quiñones — on November 6, triggering a wider leadership shake-up at the department.
For Sikh Americans, Dhillon's account has also reopened a conversation about religious identity, representation and the right to practise one's faith without facing hostility.
