A PAC by any other name? Questions raised about groups

• Super PACs allow groups to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money in elections%2C but hundreds exist only on paper
• This year%2C only 65 super PACs have raised at least %2450%2C000
• A flurry of groups are trying to capitalize on 2016 presidential races

WASHINGTON — Abbey Road isn't just the name of a Beatles tribute band.

It's a super PAC whose organizers told federal regulators they intend to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to influence congressional and presidential elections.

Altogether, more than 1,000 of these amped-up political action committees have been launched since July 2010, after a pair of federal court rulings paved the way for them to collect money directly from corporations and unions to do things like run ads calling for the election or defeat of federal candidates.

Most have no ties to well-known politicos with long campaign résumés. They also don't raise much money. This year, for instance, only a fairly small number of super PACs — just 65 — have collected at least $50,000, according to a USA TODAY tally of data from the Federal Election Commission. Hundreds more — with names like Abbey Road, A Cantor Out of Tune and American Citizens of Modest Means — apparently haven't collected a penny.

Super PACs, which cannot coordinate their activities with candidates, are relatively easy to create. There's no filing fee, and the FEC conveniently provides a one-page form letter anyone can use to start a committee. As a result, experts say, they could become magnets for a wide array of individuals — from people potentially trying to make a quick buck off a candidate's name and folks like comedian Stephen Colbert, who created one to mock the campaign-finance system to novices looking to make their mark in politics.

The Ready for Christie super PAC was started Nov. 5, the same day New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie cruised to a second term. Its founders? Two Ohio University students.

"We want to do our part to ensure the country gets back on the right track for the future," said Matt McKnight, a 21-year-old finance major who co-founded the super PAC with fellow student Joe Colby.

McKnight praised Christie's "bold leadership approach" and "proven results in an increasingly partisan nation."

McKnight has found enterprising ways to get involved in politics before. Last year, when Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney tapped Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., as his running mate, McKnight quickly registered several domain names unclaimed by the campaign, including PaulRyanVP.com. He later donated them to the Romney team.

How will potential donors know their money is well-spent by two college juniors? "We'll be releasing all the filings as required by the FEC," McKnight said. "Of course, they are transparent. And we would answer any question anyone has."

Christie hasn't said whether he will seek the presidency, and his spokesman Kevin Roberts this week declined to comment on the super PAC.

A Hillary glut

At least eight PACs started this year use "Hillary" in their names, records show. One, the Time for Hillary super PAC, filed its paperwork in August and is selling $30 T-shirts and $10 bumper stickers to promote Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton's potential 2016 candidacy.

On its website, the group said it needs donors' help to "fight back" against the Republican groups it says have raised "10s of millions of dollars" to oppose Clinton. A recent investigation by the non-profit Center for Public Integrity raised questions about the identity of one of its founders and uncovered a California court judgment against the man who initially bought the group's domain name.

Attempts by USA TODAY to reach organizers were unsuccessful. They did not respond to several e-mails sent to the addresses the group provided on its FEC filings and website.

(The group is not to be confused with Ready for Hillary super PAC, which raised more than $1.25 million during the first six months of this year and has attracted support from high-profile Democratic strategists and donors, including billionaire financier George Soros. Ready for Hillary spokesman Seth Bringman declined to comment on Time for Hillary.)

Federal rules make it fairly easy to start a super PAC because "you don't want the bureaucracy to inhibit people's political participation," said Bob Biersack, who spent 30 years with the agency and is now a senior fellow with the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks political money.

"When you make it easier for money to be involved in the process, then you make it easier for the chaff that goes with it," he said.

What's a donor to do?

"Trust but verify," said Michael Toner, a former FEC chairman who now practices election law in Washington. "Until super PACs start raising significant money or are run by credible professionals, I'm always skeptical."

Although anyone can start a super PAC, regulators do monitor and send warning letters to PACs that fail to submit required reports detailing fundraising and spending. If groups show no activity, FEC officials will shut down them down — and have done so for dozens for committees.

The FEC sent four "failure-to-file" letters to Ohio-based Abbey Road over a year. David Holland, Abbey Road's treasurer, said he's in the process of closing down the committee.

"I was asked to create it and be the treasurer of it by people who never funded it," he said in an interview. Holland declined to identify the PAC's creators.

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