On his show last night, Stephen Colbert announced what’s to become of the $773,704.83 left over from his campaign super PAC, “Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow,” which he shut down a week after the election. Colbert explained that he’s not legally required to say where the money is going, but that the Ham Rove Memorial Fund, an organization that Colbert is on the board of that was founded to honor the memory of fictional fallen political strategist Ham Rove, just received an anonymous donation of $773,704.83. The money will be shuttled through the Memorial Fund to a handful of Hurricane Sandy charities and to the Center For Responsive Police and the Campaign Legal Center, under the condition that the Legal Center name a conference room after Ham Rove. So, I guess that’s the end of this whole Colbert Super PAC chapter?
Hit the jump to read a letter Colbert sent out to his super PAC’s email list last night:
My Dearest Email List,Last month, my friend Ham Rove passed away in a very unsuspicious fashion. On the same day, Colbert Super PAC’s money, $773,704.83, was squirreled away in a fashion that was extremely suspicious, but entirely legal. I thought that’s the last I’d hear from Ham Rove, particularly because a dog ate him.But Ham Rove had plans beyond his death, and I was recently surprised to find myself on the board of the Ham Rove Memorial Foundation. I was equally surprised to learn we received a $773,704.83 donation. Where did that very specific amount of money come from? There’s simply no way to know.Tonight, I am honored to announce First and Final Annual Charitable Donations by the Ham Rove Memorial Fund.Hurricane Sandy was much like Ham Rove: Cold, cruel, salty, and the cause of untold devastation. In his honor, Donors Choose, Team Rubicon, and Habitat For Humanity will each receive $125,000 to assist with their Sandy relief efforts.We’ll also be donating $125,000 to the Yellow Ribbon Fund, which serves wounded soldiers and their families. My attempts to get a matching donation to the Blue Ribbon Fund, which serves me frosty cans of PBR, were not successful.The remaining money will be split between two pro-transparency groups who fight against the corrupting influence of outside money in politics. Luckily, they were both fine with the corrupting influence of outside money in their offices. As per his wishes, the Center for Responsive Politics has officially renamed their meeting space “The Colbert Super Pac Memorial Conference Room.” And the Campaign Legal Center will, from here on out, be home to “The Ham Rove Memorial Conference Room.”It is the highest compliment that I can pay when I say I miss Ham Rove almost as much as I miss that money. I wish he could have stayed with us a little longer. Because now I have to plan a whole new Christmas dinner.Yours Givingly,Stephen ColbertAccidental Chairman, The Ham Rove Memorial Fund
