FEC standoff ends as nominee quits

President Bush’s contentious nominee for the Federal Election Commission removed his name from consideration Friday, potentially ending a stalemate that had paralyzed the agency.

Hans von Spakovsky, a former Justice Department official who never had Democratic support to win confirmation, withdrew his nomination, saying it was time for the protracted deadlock to end.

Bush “reluctantly accepted” Von Spakovsky’s request, the White House said.

Democrats have objected to Von Spakovsky’s tenure at Justice, where he oversaw voting rights matters. The standoff has held up other Senate confirmations to the six-member FEC, which is without a quorum and has been unable to conduct business.

In a letter to Bush, Von Spakovsky said the process had been extremely hard on his family. “And quite frankly, we do not have the financial resources to continue to wait until this matter is resolved.”

He added: “The agency that is tasked with policing our campaign finance system needs to be operational during a presidential election year. The opposition to my nomination (however unfair) is preventing that from happening.”

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) welcomed Von Spakovsky’s withdrawal. Democrats have charged that Von Spakovsky tried to suppress voter participation through new restrictions such as voter identification laws and voter roll purges.

Senate Republicans, however, argued that a recent Supreme Court ruling upholding a strict Indiana voter identification law vindicated Von Spakovsky’s stance on the issue.

Bush sent the Senate a new slate of FEC nominees this month, retaining Von Spakovsky but withdrawing the nomination of FEC Chairman David M. Mason. Mason had clashed in the past with presumed Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

The Senate could vote on the remaining four nominees or wait until Bush nominates a replacement for Von Spakovsky. The panel comprises six members -- three from each party. It takes four votes to act, meaning that even with a 3-2 advantage, Democrats would need one Republican to avoid a deadlock.