WASHINGTON — Comedian Stephen Colbert’s super PAC may be the only super PAC in the nation with a fan club.

Throngs gathered outside the Federal Election Commission’s office downtown under gray skies, but rain came only in a downpour of dollar bills eager supporters handed to Colbert as seed money for his so-far unofficial super PAC, known as Colbert Super PAC.

Cheering fans also chanted “USA!” and sang “Happy Birthday” to the funny man, who turned 47 years old today. After Colbert announced that shaking hands with him would cost $1, many attendees forked over cash — which Colbert happily accepted and stuffed into his mouth before exclaiming “God bless Citizens United” from his black SUV, then driving off.

Colbert had traveled to the FEC offices to file paperwork and ask the commission for an advisory opinion about whether his potential super PAC would qualify for a media exemption — which would allow him to report on the activities of his organization without having to disclose any in-kind contributions from his parent company, Viacom. (As Colbert has noted on The Colbert Report, in recent weeks, Viacom’s lawyers have encouraged him not to form a super PAC.)

“There’s some that don’t want you to have a voice!” Colbert said to the assembled crowd, according to Slate reporter Dave Weigel, who was also at the event. “There’s some who don’t want you to have Colbert Super PAC. But you know what? I am not willing to ride on the back of the bus!”

(This intrepid reporter was too far from Colbert to hear much of his speech over the relentless requests of police officers to onlookers to stay on the sidewalk.)

Colbert was joined by his attorney, Trevor Potter, the former general counsel for Republican John McCain during his 2000 and 2008 presidential bids, the founder of the Campaign Legal Center and the former chairman of the Federal Election Commission.

(Update 5/17: You can read the 8-page .pdf file of Colbert’s official request here.)



One of the fans who attempted to glimpse Colbert was Collin Shay, a college student from Silver Spring, Md.

Shay said he hoped Colbert would use the super PAC to “bring attention to how ridiculous the idea of super PACs are.”

“Individuals can’t compete with the amount of money corporations can generate,” Shay told OpenSecrets Blog.

Paula Ernst, a freelance writer from Gainesville, Va., likewise, looked forward to seeing what Colbert would do with his new, still-unofficial group.

“I can’t wait to see what he’ll do to parody the ludicrousness of our electoral process,” Ernst told OpenSecrets Blog.

“If we don’t laugh, we’ll all cry,” she lamented, adding we need more accountability and sunshine on political spending.

This isn’t Colbert’s first political gambit. In 2007, he flirted with a possible presidential bid and attempted to gain ballot access for the South Carolina Democratic Party primary. South Carolina officials denied that request to the Palmetto State native.

During that failed bid, Colbert also joked that snack company Doritos would be sponsoring his campaign, and then-Center for Responsive Politics Communications Director Massie Ritsch appeared on The Colbert Report to warn him of the potential illegal corporation contributions such a maneuver would bring.

Super PACs rose to prominence last year after the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Supreme Court decision and a federal court decision in the case SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission.

Super PACs are used to make independent expenditures — advertisements that do overtly advocate for or against federal politicians — and can accept unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations and unions. They register with the Internal Revenue Service under section 527 of the U.S. tax code, and are required to regularly disclose the identities of their donors.

Learn more about super PACs on OpenSecrets.org here and here.



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