Saying no to Hans von Spakovsky
by Barbara R. Arnwine
Hans von Spakovsky, the last man standing in the politicization scandal that has rocked the Justice Department, is about to be rewarded with a spot on the Federal Election Commission. Tomorrow, the Senate Rules Committee will decide whether or not his nomination reaches the Senate floor. The Senate must reject his nomination.
Today I sent a letter to the Senate Rules Committee opposing von Spakovsky’s nomination.
The letter stated:
As a former political appointee in the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, von Spakovsky was the architect of a plan to use the Department’s power to enforce our nation’s historic civil rights protections to further partisan goals. He is the last man standing in the politicization scandal that has rocked the Justice Department. Unlike his former colleagues who have left the government in shame because they put politics ahead of Americans’ rights, von Spakovsky is on the cusp of being confirmed to the powerful post of FEC commissioner, where he will once again have control over enforcing voting protections. The right to vote is too important to allow him to have a continued role in protecting voters’ rights.
Mr. von Spakovsky was not just a participant in the program to politicize civil rights enforcement; he orchestrated the role the Department’s Voting Section played in that process. During his tenure with the Department of Justice, von Spakovsky was part of a conscious effort to purge the section of the talent and dedication of long time civil servants; punished career staff when they recommended a course of action that diverted from the political goals of the Department’s political appointees; politicized substantive law enforcement decisions; and shifted the priorities of the section away from protecting the participatory rights of America’s voters. His actions while at the Department raise serious questions about his professionalism and commitment to serve his country before his party.
The 2008 election is going to be the most important in a generation. The stakes are far too high to allow a key figure in the politicization of voting rights at DoJ to once again have control over the enforcement of voting rights.
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