allison of the sunlight foundation, a nonprofit group that advocates government transparency and eliza newlin carney, staff writer for "roll call." we thank you both for being here. eliza newlin carney, let me start with you. remind me where these superpacs came from, they grew out of a supreme court decision, citizens united in early last year -- dish should say early 2010. >> early 2010. the citizens united ruling rolled back limits that had existed for some time on corporate and unit expenditures. and that unit said if you are operating independently from candidates and parties, you can spend however much you want and you can raise however much you want from corporate sources and union sources that previously were barred from direct campaign money it there was another ruling calls speech now. which a lower court ruling which together with citizens united paved the way for these pacs. >> woodruff: and bill allison, how different does that mean it is for these groups than what it is and the rules for the candidates themselves and what they can raise and spend. >> well, these groups can take contrib

we have eliza newlin carney, staff writer for "roll call" and she covers lobbying and influence. and i have one good authority that he coined the term super pac. >> that is correct. >> to my immediate left. pretty cool, by the way. paul ryan, fcc program director and associate legal counsel at campaign legal center. all the way to my left is allen dickerson, interim director and -- more information is developed -- located, and i am daniel schuman, policy council of the sunlight foundation and director of advisory committee on transparency. i have asked each panelist of about different aspects of super pacs and i will turn first to eliza newlin carney to talk about what is available at the public record, what is absent and how the information available affects the stories. >> thank you for the sunlight foundation are having this event. in the movie "all the president's men" the character known as deep throat tells carl woodward and bernstein to follow the money. even though it was not a line from the book, something a screen writer wrote, it became a rallying cry of generations of

we have eliza newlin carney, staff writer for "roll call" and she covers lobbying and influence. and i have it on good authority that he coined the term super pac. >> that is correct. >> to my immediate left. pretty cool, by the way. paul ryan, fec program director and associate legal counsel at campaign legal center. all the way to my left is allen dickerson, interim director and -- center for competitive politics. more information is located -- and i am daniel schuman, policy council of the sunlight foundation and director of advisory committee on transparency. i have asked each panelist to talk about different aspects of super pacs and i will turn first to eliza newlin carney to talk about what is available at the public record, what is absent and how the information available affects the stories. >> thank you for the sunlight foundation are having this event. in the movie "all the president's men" the character known as deep throat tells carl woodward and bernstein to follow the money. even though it was not a line from the book, something a screen writer wrote, it became a r

finally as eliza newlin carney violated the current disclosure regime is sufficient to capture the new influx of political money. i will end illustrating that, have you talked about steven colbert? as many of you know, this comedian and a genius has been illustrating -- kind of ridiculous aspect of the current regime by creating a super pac and created an affiliated 501 c 4 for the purpose of accepting donations that never have to be disclosed and can be shifted to the superpack. with that said tale i will turn it to somebody else to offer a ray of hope. >> hopefully i can offer a ray of hope and explain the concerns here and maybe we should note that steven colbert no longer have the super pac. >> definitely not coordinating the steven colbert super pac. >> i will talk about the broader legal concerns that play when you talk about disclosure and transparency. as mimi and eliza explain the major thing out of this decision is a declaration by the supreme court by five justices that independent expenditures don't corrupt or can't corrupt. one of the promises made by the court plead for o