Colbert Gets His Own PAC

The Los Angeles Times reports:

The Federal Election Commission Thursday granted faux talk-show host Stephen Colbert a special exemption to establish a corporate-backed political action committee to run ads on his program.

Colbert had asked the FEC for permission to create a "Colbert Super PAC" that would produce and air election advertisements, with the assistance of resources provided by Viacom -- the parent company ofComedy Central, which airs "The Colbert Report" –- without disclosing the extent of Viacom’s assistance.

After the ruling, Colbert addressed a crowd of hundreds outside the FEC's D.C. headquarters, flanked by staffers in red “Colbert PAC” t-shirts.

“The FEC made its ruling, and I’m sorry to say, we won!” Colbert said, prompting giant cheers from the crowd. "Some have cynically asked if this is some kind of joke,” he continued. “But I don’t think that participating in democracy is a joke. I don’t think that wanting to know what the rules are is a joke.”