The Senate Rules Committee sent the nominations of four Federal Election Commission (FEC) commissioners to the full Senate floor, but did so without a recommendation to approve or reject the nominees after Rules Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) expressed concern that nominee Hans von Spakovsky was "not an unbiased individual." Von Spakovsky's confirmation hearing, in June focused on his time at the Justice Department. He has been accused of politicizing the department's voting rights section causing civil rights groups and many others to vigorously oppose his confirmation. The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights sent a letter to Feinstein last week strongly urging against his confirmation. The letter stated; "Mr. von Spakovsky is one of the architects of the Bush Administration's voter suppression efforts targeting minority voters. From 2001 to 2005, as an official at the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, von Spakovsky helped steer the federal government toward voting rights policies not seen before, imposing sweeping restrictions that would make it harder for poor and minority voters to cast ballots." Read the story covered by The Hill, Washington Post, and Roll Call($$) among many others.