Feb 7, 2008 -- White House "Breakfast Club" for Stalled Nominees: Statement of J. Gerald Hebert, CLC Executive Director

Today's breakfast at the White House for stalled nominees is a sad reminder of the ongoing attempts to politicize the Department of Justice for partisan gain. As Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) made very clear in a statement on the Senate floor, the White House remains alarmingly focused on politicizing our nation's law enforcement arm - freezing dozens of nominations in order to install a rubber stamp "yes man" in DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel.

Controversies and standoffs are inevitable when the Senate and the White House are held by different parties, but we are hopeful that negotiations can be restarted and that appointments will again begin to move.

That said, Hans von Spakovsky one of the bit players in the standoff should not be confirmed to a Commissioner at the Federal Election Commission under any circumstances. von Spakovsky is in the middle of a standoff within a standoff , but it is one that is easily resolved. His nomination can be withdrawn or it can be put to an up-or-down vote.

But von Spakovsky does not have the votes. His scandalous record while at the Justice Department cannot be ignored and leaves him unfit to serve in government in any capacity. The nominee was part of a sad parade of political appointees and hires at the Justice Department who subverted the Department's mission to achieve partisan advantage. Even worse, he pushed legal interpretations and made decisions that resulted in thousands of people being disfranchised.

Many of von Spakovsky's partisan cohorts at Justice were forced out or left in shame before the ax fell, but attempts by the Bush Administration to continue the partisan misuse of DOJ have continued.

Law enforcement can be neither selective nor political in a democracy. When that happens, it undermines public confidence in our government and sullies our reputation internationally. The United States cannot advocate democracy and free elections overseas while its Justice Department works feverishly to disenfranchise our own voters here at home.

Our nation is poorly served when the top law enforcement agency fails to prosecute those who intimidate voters because of the color of their skin or their party affiliation. But that was not only done under von Spakovsky's watch, he led the effort. It would be hypocritical to confirm him for a seat on the Federal Election Commission. He certainly doesn't deserve a promotion.