Gone Von Spakovsky, Enter McGahn
Cross-posted from the Huffington Post.
Late Friday, a letter sent from Federal Election Commission (FEC) nominee Hans von Spakovsky to the White House officially withdrawing his name from consideration was made public. This is undoubtedly good news as the election season kicks into high gear, and will help to assure that the FEC will be restored to its previous, albeit minimal, functionality.
Von Spakovsky's nomination was opposed by civil rights and good government groups due to his frightening record of partisan witch-hunts and voter suppression while in the Voting Division at the Justice Department. Democrats had been insisting on an up-or-down vote for each of the nominees, including von Spakovsky, a former Bush campaign staffer and GOP operative.
Von Spakovsky was the antithesis of the kind of person needed at the Commission, which is charged with the fair and non-partisan administration of campaign finance law. The FEC has been unable to make decisions at the commission level for months, as the triangular nomination standoff between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the White House continued. While the White House had indicated that an up-or-down vote was acceptable, McConnell, who is no friend of the FEC, appeared to be holding firm in insisting on a vote on the full slate of candidates.
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