No Joke: Stephen Colbert Testifying Before FEC To Defend His ‘Super PAC’
- Posted on June 30, 2011 at 10:49am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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WASHINGTON (The Blaze/AP) — Stephen Colbert delights in lampooning politicians on his Comedy Central show, but he plans to raise some serious issues about public disclosure of corporate campaign contributions before the Federal Election Commission on Thursday.
Colbert, who plays a conservative TV pundit on “The Colbert Report,” wants to launch Colbert Super PAC, a type of political action committee that would allow him to raise unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions and individuals to support or oppose candidates in the 2012 elections through independent expenditures such as TV ads.
Colbert is asking the commission on Thursday for a so-called media exemption to allow him to use his show’s airtime, staff and other resources for his political action committee without having to publicly disclose them as in-kind contributions from Comedy Central’s parent company, Viacom Inc.
Colbert has said those undisclosed contributions could include the use of his show’s staff to create TV advertisements about candidates that would air as paid commercials on other shows and networks.
The campaign initially started as a satirical segment on PAC ads in March. At the time, his target was former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty who had not yet announced his candidacy:
The Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21 have urged the election commission to reject Colbert’s request because they said it could open a “gaping loophole” in campaign disclosure laws.
“I would suspect that Mr. Colbert would not want his activities to serve as a vehicle for opening up major loopholes in the campaign finance laws that would allow companies to provide secret money to influence elections,” said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21.
The two campaign finance watchdog groups warned that a favorable ruling for Colbert could spur many more undisclosed contributions to political figures who are TV hosts or commentators and who could opt to create their own super PACs to take advantage of any new loopholes.
The groups cited politicians such Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum who already have traditional political action committees and are either working now, or have worked, as TV hosts or commentators.
“Many television show hosts who are serious politicians have political committees that could reap great financial benefit” if Colbert wins a favorable ruling, the groups wrote in a joint letter to the Federal Election Commission.
Trevor Potter, a prominent campaign finance attorney and a former Federal Election Commission chairman who is representing Colbert, declined to comment.
Potter heads The Campaign Legal Center but said he is acting solely as Colbert‘s attorney and has disqualified himself from having any role in the group’s actions on the Colbert matter.
“The Colbert Report” has used satire to shine a light on campaign finance rules following the Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court that helped pave the way for super PACs. Campaign finance reform advocates complained the ruling gave wealthy donors, particularly companies and unions, considerably more sway in politics.
Super PACs can accept unlimited contributions from corporations, labor unions or individuals, unlike candidates or traditional political action committees. Super PACs cannot contribute directly to candidates, however.
Asked if Colbert’s effort to form a super PAC is serious or more of a stunt, Potter said Wednesday that the comic is raising important and complex questions that the Federal Election Commission is wrestling with.
On TV last night, Colbert continued to use his character to advance his cause:
“There are serious, legitimate, questions about what such a PAC has to report to the FEC,” Potter said in an email response to The Associated Press. “Those questions are the subject of Mr. Colbert’s advisory opinion request to the commission.”
Colbert’s campaign to create a political action committee is not without some comic jabs. His political action committee slogan is “Making a better tomorrow, tomorrow.”
Colbert’s comic flair surfaced in a recent letter to the Federal Election Commission.
“Colbert Super PAC will also pay usual and normal administrative expenses, including but not limited to luxury hotel stays, private jet travel and PAC mementos from Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus,” Colbert’s lawyers wrote to the commissioners.
“This is not just about the cash,” the comedian said during Wednesday night’s episode of “The Colbert Report.“ ”I will also accept credit cards.”
In March, Colbert said he was forming a traditional political action committee. But that kind of committee has stricter rules on fundraising, so he announced plans to form his own super PAC instead.
Colbert has said any ads for Colbert Super PAC would not be coordinated with any candidate or party.
This isn’t the first time Colbert has testified in Washington. Last fall, he testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee regarding immigration. The testimony quickly turned into a circus when Colbert explained the term “corn packer:”
At the time, Fox’s Megyn Kelly estimated the testimony may have cost taxpayers up to $125,000.
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bedspirit
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 8:18pmHow is it that every single one of you guys have missed the point? I‘m going to have to bust out Beck’s chalkboard and explain this. This is the result of the Citizen’s United decision. In case you don‘t know how you’re suppose to feel about that, Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, and all the other conservatives love this decision. Since most of you seem to blindly believe in whatever those guys believe in, this means you love it too. Colbert is less interested in using his PAC than he is in exploiting what this decision allows one to do. Some of you think this is about simply raising a bunch of money for liberal causes. Wrong. If he wanted to do that, he could have done it secretly behind the scenes. Some think this is proof that the Obama administration is corrupt. It may be corrupt, but not because of this. Obama doesn’t like this. Recall when he famously called out the supreme court during the State of the Union address. This is meant to draw attention to how messed up the new campaign finance rules are. If you think this is messed up too, than you must be a bunch of liberals.
Report Post »Classical Liberal
Posted on July 1, 2011 at 5:39pm@bedspirit; you are wasting your time trying to reach those individuals. The summerfriends here on the Blaze are the rightwing equivalent of huffpo users. Quick to insult and slander, not so quick to listen and understand.
To those users it may concern, shape up or ship out. Attacking Colbert blindly without giving his a point a chance is just foolish. If you cant reason out his argument and defend a position against it with logic and reason, then we have no use for you here.
Report Post »DoctorRon
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 4:17pmI had never noticed that Colbert was playing a conservative. Sure seems like a liberal to me.
Report Post »This ruling just shows how corrupt the Obama/Soros administration is.
bedspirit
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 7:54pmSeriously? I recall Obama saying that the Supreme Court erred when they ruled that Corporations are people and money is speech. Conservatives praise this decision. That’s the ruling that allows Colbert to do this. If you find it unfair, than you’re on the liberal side of the argument.
Report Post »Susie
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 3:13pmDear Comedy Central.
Report Post »Please don‘t apologize to this Canadian for not being able to view Colbert’s crap through this web site. I‘ll just take the blaze’s word for it, in this instance, and you can shove your Comedy Central, which is programed “lock-out” on my TV, where the the sun never shines.
bedspirit
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 7:55pmEver heard of a proxy, genius?
Report Post »OneBadAssMistakeAmerica
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 1:55pmget this dude off of tv. hes not funny and he isnt a conservative.
Report Post »angelcat
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 1:38pmIf Colbert can do this, can Rush, Hannity, Ingraham, etc. do the same? I would think so.
Report Post »bedspirit
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 7:56pmThat’s the point. Good for you! You got something.
Report Post »crapgame
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 1:15pmColbert is just another Soros , manifestation, looking for another angle to funnel Soros money to the democrats. The big secret is that Soros and his ilk are worried that Obama might loose the 2012 election., and are looking for more ways to throw money at the problem.They are already working the illegal vote through amnesty, super pac will allow them to flood the media markets with left wing pro Obama spin. The socialist marxist progresives are worried, and are going to pull out all the stops. Be advised!
Report Post »2gether
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 12:36pmHere’s a thought Steve. Quit your job and start up your own SCTV on the internet. Are you feeling threatened by the competition that is about to smack you upside the head, Stevie? Is your arrogance morphing into uncontrolled fear? Start the PAC on your own, Stevie! Put your money where your mouth has been for the last 3 years…
Report Post »Berbel73
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 12:28pmNo wonder the rest of the world has lost all respect for us. We have idiots like Colbert making a mockery of our system of government, and all of his useful idiot audience think that it is so incredibly funny. Yeah really funny, our founding fathers are rolling in their graves its so funny.
Report Post »vennoye
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 12:47pmWhen you read some of the things they wrote, they knew we would be stupid………..and we were!! But you know what, we are still their descendents, we still carry the same genes……may have been stupid, but we are not hopeless!! We will be alright but it WILL be different!
Report Post »Berbel73
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 2:25pmWell I’m glad that you are so confident things will get better, I however am not convinced. Too many people don’t know history, don’t know the constitution, and have no interest in discussing it, let alone learning it. We are getting exactly what we deserve for being complicite for so long. Play on Nero, play on.
Report Post »inexiletill2012
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 12:26pmWhat scares me is ….
“allow him to raise unlimited amounts of money from corporations” ie “Soros funded organizations”
The dope is using the system to make fun of the system….so much for the serious talk about our elections…..just make it into a worldwide joke
Report Post »mrmikejohnson
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 12:06pmYou the democratic party is in trouble when their two biggest leaders are comedians. The only thing the dems do truly well is criticize Republicans.
Report Post »CaptainSpaulding
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 12:05pmWell he’s a big lib, so they’ll probably say “yes.”
Funny that his friend John Stewart was defending Comedy Central bias because “I’m just a comedian.”
Makes me mad to think that Colbert is making millions and I can’t find a job. :( Now he’s going to make himself and his friends even richer belittling and mocking people like me. :(:(:(
Sucks that these jokers are running our country. :(
Report Post »ErinLindsey
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:53amIf they let Colbert do this, then I think Glenn should be able to start taking donations too.
Report Post »C. Schwehr
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:45amWhat do they mean in the headline by “No Joke”? Colbert is unto himself a walking joke…This will be, no doubt, a waste of the taxpayers time again.
Report Post »jim
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:36amI hope he does time. Then he can get a real corn packer for a cell mate.
Report Post »LiberalMarine
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:42amWhy would he do time? He hasn’t broken the law.
Report Post »PanicFire
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:32amWaste of taxpayers dollars. I saw we should charge Mr. Colbert for the taxpayers dollars that he’s wasting.
Report Post »wordweaver
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:24amThe challenge of being a satirist like Colbert is that folks will likely not take you seriously in the totality of public discourse because they feel your main objective is to go for the laugh. I think his effort here is to see how much he can get away with and how much influence he can bring to the campaign season with his PAC contributions. Whenever he starts to take any heat for anything he says, he can always retreat back under the umbrella of comedy. It smacks of a guerilla warfare approach to public discourse – make fun of the stuff you oppose and get away with it because you are the funny guy. Shows like his have a big following today – they are a force to be reckoned with. I guess that explains why Congress feels they have to give him the time of day in hearings. CSPAN probably enjoys the boost in ratings when his hearings air.
Report Post »nomercy63
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:15amHe is important why???????
Report Post »HorseCrazy
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:14amoh good more clown show and distraction from the comedian reaching ti stay cool and relevant. wow this guy isnt even funny. stewart is funny colbert is boring
Report Post »JUSTANOTHEROPINION
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:09amIf this is not for/against the why is it that he only takes shots at the conservatives? Hmm….
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:08amBeck PAC, I can’t wait.
Report Post »TRONINTHEMORNING
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:08amThanks for your service LIBERALMARINE, but in your statement; you are incorrect. FOX brings all sides to the table–MSNBC rarely does, and CNN is unwatchable.
Report Post »LiberalMarine
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:12amI actually wasn’t incorrect, I said most of the time therefore not implying that Fox never has Democrats on.
Report Post »cessna152
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:36amCorrect… they don’t have democrats they have Marxists, socialist, progressive left leaning liberals on every single show.
Report Post »-Hannity
-Almost ALL of Fox business.
-O’reilly
-Brett Baire
Please stop playing this game and tell us what great things this administration has done…are we better off in our daily lives? Safer? Have more money? More jobs? Better than 5 years ago? Safer?
LiberalMarine
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:38amTrying to explain my opinions here is futile and besides the point I was making about the bipartisan guests on the various news/opinion shows.
Report Post »cessna152
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:47amLame excuse… you support someone and an ideal without fully understanding the truth. I am a willing and a listening “ear”. Please tell us how we are better off today (safer, richer, more free, etc). Try me…
BTW, thanks for serving.
Report Post »Clive
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 12:24pmyour attempts to villify liberalmarine are pathetic. obama sucks, but you’d be ret@rded to think he is worse than bush, obama didn’t create this mess, he was supposed to clean it up, he didn’t, but i’d say its marginally better. And i suppose we are a little safer. we’ve withdrawn troops from iraq, shifted our focus to afghanistan and pakistan… oh, and we killed bin laden. whoop de dooo.
i don’t bash bush for the sake of bashing bush, he was just another lame president. just a man. Life wouldn’t get any better or worse with a republican president in 2012. they are all the same, they all suck. On the bright side, if you are afraid of america shifting, don’t be. no matter who is in charge, never really ever changes. as nothing ever really gets done.
Report Post »miles from nowhere
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:00amThis sounds bad to me.
Report Post »LiberalMarine
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:00amSay what you will about Colbert and Stewart, but they at least have guests from all sides of the political spectrun. Which is more than can be said for the big three news networks most of the time.
Report Post »hi
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:05amYou think far left and extreme, far left are “from all sides of the spectrum.”
Report Post »LiberalMarine
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:10amColbert has had a couple Tea Party members (Only one did answer every question with “Cut Spending” even if it didn’t make sense for the question) and Stewart had Rick Perry on earlier this year. I’m pretty sure none of those are “Left” at all. Good try though.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:12amWho do you consider “the big three news networks”? FNC has liberal panelists and guests on every show that they have panels and guests on.
Report Post »LiberalMarine
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:19amWhile the regular news programs have liberal panelists, when I can watch the Fox News pundit shows they rarely have Liberal panelists on and have interesting two way interviews with them. I should have been more specific to the shows I was referring to.
Report Post »hi
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:30amCut spending.
Report Post »cessna152
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:32amSo please explain what great things this President has done? Has it strengthened us? Made us safer? Please explain your position…
Thanks for serving BTW.
Report Post »C. Schwehr
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:42amThere is no such thing as a “liberal Marine”. Liberals are not capable of perfoming as a Marine. You therefore are a cheesy impostor…
Report Post »LiberalMarine
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:48amYou don’t know me, but my name links to my facebook which shows me doing various Marine Corps things in various uniforms.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:53amSo, you consider O’Reilly and Hannity “regular news programs”? I thought liberals didn’t consider them news shows, just opinion shows. They have as many liberals as they have conservatives. O’Reilly even had a liberal guest host Monday and Tuesday this week and often on Fridays in the summer.
Report Post »hauschild
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:59amYeah, but these two dudes are bottom-feeders. They prey on the weakest minds in America and exploit them to their economic advantage; not that there is anything necessarily wrong with that, but I think there gets to be once these people attempt to enter that “elitist” realm.
Look at Stewart – he actually thinks he’s a genius. Yet, he believed (quite angrily, I might add) FOX viewers are “the most consistently misinformed”. His bias is stomach-churning and the fact that he knows he appeals to the lower-class (not necessarily monetarily, but ethically and morally) echelon, and loves it.
Report Post »DimmuBorgir
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 12:44pmmarine here too, but not liberal at all
dude, you gotta actually start watching fox if you’re going to say that you watch it. To say that fox doesn’t have at least one liberal on each show is just wrong. They always have at least a democratic stratigist on everytime.
Report Post »Classical Liberal
Posted on July 1, 2011 at 5:32pmIf you are talking about Fox, then you have no idea what you are talking about.
Colbert is raising some rather serious concerns about political campaign contributions from corporate entities. This issue crosses both sides of the isle and reform of some sort is warranted.
I wish colbert the best in his efforts to raise awareness of those issues. Don’t be surprised when a number of democrats try to bring him down in his latest stunt. This effects them as well.
Report Post »I.Gaspar
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 10:52amHe can call it the bumbling, banal, buffoon PAC.
Report Post »Each day gets weirder and weirder. Alice in obamaland.
TRONINTHEMORNING
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 10:50amHe’s become such a bore; Stewart as well. Nobody cares anymore.
Report Post »Wdawg
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 10:56amIts Free Speech!
Report Post »hauschild
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:05amAh, the dude with the “freakish” ear is trying like hell to revive his aging schtick.
You almost begin to feel sorry for these losers until you realize what asses they are.
Report Post »DrFrost
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:11amFree speech means you can say what you want (within reason). It doesn’t mean anyone has to listen.
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:12amAnyone can guess which side those contributions will come from. No special exemptions for fake journalists!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:15am@TromIntheMorning:
The crazy thing here is – him being boring or not – he indeed does seem to be pursuing some sort of larger goal most of us are not seeing yet. Could it just be for ratings? Yes.
Could there be more for him, and he is very serious for some major future move? Yes as well.
Do not underestimate him just for being a comedian; the wild cards are often the ones who change the world around them the most dramatically, leaving people asking “How did this happen?”
Report Post »CatB
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:38amWhy don’t they call Obama in and ask him about his passports … adoption … name change … social security numbers … etc? Congress do you job!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVFdgY8BIvU
Report Post »encinom
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:44amTRONINTHEMORNING
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 10:50am
He’s become such a bore; Stewart as well. Nobody cares anymore.
_____________________________________________________________
Beck gone full ******, nobody care about him anymore.
There I corrected your statement.
Funny, Stewart/Colbert had attendees at their rally than Beck had at his Mormon Traveling Revival on 8/28.
Report Post »pmacres
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:46amColbert acts like a conservative who is a liberal, But actually is a conservative ,,
Report Post »I think this little display shows how stupid George Sorros is and how he filters money on the libs.
He is taking it to FEC to show them how easy it is to be like George..
HKS
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:48amWow, a comedian in Washington, he should feel right at home. He’s among friends.
Report Post »Shiroi Raion
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 11:58amI’ve read about 20-30 posts from encomim and monicne… or whatever their names are. Those two are probably the stupidest trolls on The Blaze. They dserve a combined Douche Award.
Report Post »Cerealface
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 12:39pmBoring? Unlimited campaign funds from corporations dude.
Report Post »DimmuBorgir
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 12:41pmENCINOM
imagine that, a rally that had the huffington post bussing people in had about the same as an event that only had volunteers helping people get to DC
Report Post »fastfacts
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 12:44pmHE IS A JOKE JUST LIKE JON STEWART:
He also attacks Republicans and Fox News all the time. You know any money that is donated to him will go to Democrat hacks.
It’s like what Chris Wallace said, “The jokes on you”: http://tiny.cc/b3wdw
Report Post »Cerealface
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 12:45pmHis superpac is approved.
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 12:46pmWhy does Congress even give these things, in the shape of a human body, the time of day….OH congress is just trying to justify their jobs and stay in office.
Report Post »Cerealface
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 12:50pmmoney that goes to colbert superpac will be spent by the superpac independently for advertisements during the 2012 elections IS NOT A JOKE
Report Post »jkendal
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 1:03pm“I want to be able to raise unlimited amounts of cash for democRATS but I don‘t want anyone to be able to say that’s what I’m doing.”
Uh huh, sure.
The funniest thing to me is the fact that his and jon stewarts audience (one and the same) get their news from these two clowns – that they think these comedians are actually a credible source for news. ROTLMAO!
Report Post »Guardog44
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 1:42pmOur Congress at work for who? The cause of global warming has been found.
Report Post »JRook
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 2:40pmSeems reasonable. If the Koch brothers can meet with the Governors they own and pour absurd amount of outside money into state elections, then I guess anything goes.
Report Post »Sound The Trumpet In Zion
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 5:38pmIf it’s above board then why would he have a problem with keeping secret his investors? The only reason to hide something like this is because he has something to hide.
Report Post »bedspirit
Posted on June 30, 2011 at 7:49pmNobody cares anymore. His ratings are higher than anyone’s on Fox (except maybe O’reilly) so I guess that makes Fox even more insignificant and unimportant.
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