FEC official can't recall Native voting rights case

Thursday, June 14, 2007  

A Federal Elections Commission official who has targeted tribes couldn't recall a Native voting rights case at his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

Hans von Spakovsky told Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) that he couldn't "remember" talking to anybody about a Minnesota law that barred the use of tribal identification off the reservation. At the time, he served as a lawyer for the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, which handles voting rights issues.

Nevertheless, von Spakovsky denied quashing an investigation into the matter. He said he agreed with former colleague -- Bradley Schlozman, who also denied stopping the probe -- that the first person to contact would be Minnesota's Republican secretary of state.

"I don't really understand how that would be viewed as shutting down" the investigation, he testified [Audio Clip].

In a lawsuit brought by the National Congress of American Indians and the American Civil Liberties Union, a federal judge ruled that the state law violated the voting rights of an estimated 20,000 urban Indians. The dispute has been raised as one of the reasons why former U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger was targeted for removal.

von Spakovsky is seeking a permanent term on the FEC. He has accused tribes of exploiting a "loophole" in federal law in order to make large campaign contributions.

Get the Story:
Ex-Justice Dept. lawyer can't recall his role in controversial policies (McClatchy Newspapers 6/13)

Senate Rules Committee:
Nominations to the Federal Election Commission (June 13, 2007)

Hans von Spakovsky Statement:
Tribal Political Contributions (February 8, 2006)

FEC Advisory:
Indian Tribes (February 2, 2006)

Federal Elections Commission Opinions:
Advisory Opinion 1999-32 (January 28, 2000) | Advisory Opinion 2000-05 (May 15, 2000) | Advisory Opinion 2005-01 (March 14, 2005)

More Advisory Opinion 2005-01 Documents:
Advisory Opinion Draft A and Draft B | Tribe's Request for Advisory Opinion

Relevant Links:
Federal Election Commission - http://www.fec.gov
PoliticalMoneyLine - http://www.politicalmoneyline.com
Center for Responsive Politics - http://www.opensecrets.org

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