Following news that the nomination of Hans von Spakovsky to the Federal Election Commission will be blocked, Tanya Clay House, Director of Public Policy at People For the American Way, released the following statement:

“Hans von Spakovsky epitomized Bush Administration cronyism. He was a key operative in the political skullduggery that poisoned the independence of the Justice Department and made it a political arm of the White House, not a watchdog for the people. Von Spakovsky would have carried that same partisan political loyalty to the Federal Election Commission. His confirmation would have been toxic to fairness in our federal elections.

“He was critical to the Justice Department’s validation of the Georgia voter ID law that will make it harder for thousands of elderly, minority and student voters to cast their ballots. He was involved in the scandal surrounding the political firing of the U.S. attorneys. To reward this political activity with an appointment to a commission charged with overseeing the fair conduct of elections would have been a miscarriage of justice.

“I heartily applaud Senators Barack Obama and Russ Feingold for their steadfast opposition to this nominee. Majority Leader Harry Reid and Majority Whip Dick Durbin also deserve credit for standing firm against Bush’s bullying tactics and preventing this nominee from moving forward. The Senate has averted a potential disaster for the FEC and the nation’s voters, but must remain ever vigilant in ensuring this nominee does not move to any other federal position involving elections.”