Presidential candidate Rick Perry and comedian Stephen Colbert, who last week barraged Iowa voters with advertisements urging voters to support “Rick Parry,” shared the same political committee treasurer – until they didn’t.
Salvatore Purpura, who has represented numerous political committees as treasurer over the years, told POLITICO that he resigned on Thursday as treasurer of Colbert’s super PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow.
Then, on Monday, Perry - not Parry - formally filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission listing Purpura has his campaign treasurer.
“Obviously, there was a potential conflict of interest,” Purpura said. “I told [Colbert lawyer] Trevor [Potter] on Thursday I would not be able to be treasurer anymore.”
Colbert, in an email to POLITICO, praised Purpura’s service.
“We’re not surprised. Sal is the best in the business. That’s why we went with him,” Colbert wrote. “We’re happy for Sal and we are even happier that Governor Parry has sent the clear signal of which super PAC he trusts to receive all that unlimited money waiting to pour in on his behalf. Loud and clear, sir. Unofficially, loud and clear.”
To date, Purpura remains listed as treasurer in FEC documents for both Perry’s presidential committee and Colbert’s super PAC, which Purpura attributed to a paperwork lag time. Shauna Polk, an official at Washington, D.C.-based law firm Caplin & Drysdale, has assumed treasurer duties for Colbert’s super PAC, Purpura said.
Yes, that's right, the Perry campaign's new treasurer, Salvatore Purpura, is fresh off a job as treasurer of Colbert's political action committee, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow. Colbert's super PAC is set up to exploit election law that allows him to accept and spend an unlimited amount of money, provided he doesn't coordinate with political candidates. (In Iowa, he encouraged straw poll voters to vote for "Rick Parry.")
Purpura, keenly noting that working for both Perry's campaign and AfaBTT is a "potential conflict of interest," resigned on Thursday. Colbert emailed Politico with praise for his work:
"We're not surprised. Sal is the best in the business. That's why we went with him," Colbert wrote. "We're happy for Sal and we are even happier that Governor Parry has sent the clear signal of which super PAC he trusts to receive all that unlimited money waiting to pour in on his behalf. Loud and clear, sir. Unofficially, loud and clear."
It's not really surprising that Purpura's now with Perry—he's worked for a bunch of Republican campaigns. It is hilarious, though! The punchline is "campaign finance law.
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