- Dr. Oz's campaign treasurer once worked for Stephen Colbert's "Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow" joke Super PAC.
- According to his LinkedIn, Salvatore Purpura has also worked on several other Republican campaigns.
- Dr. Oz announced he's running for US Senate in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.
Dr. Mehmet Oz's new campaign treasurer previously helped comedian Stephen Colbert run a joke Super PAC that sought to expose the role of anonymous donations in politics.
In a document filed with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday, Salvatore Purpura is listed as both the treasurer and custodian of records for Oz's campaign to be the next US Senator from Pennsylvania.
In 2011, Purpura — who has worked on several other Republican campaigns — was the treasurer for Colbert's "Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow," which was created as part of a TV stunt for the Comedy Central show "The Colbert Report."
At the time, Colbert was hosting "The Colbert Show" on Comedy Central, where he satirized right-wing television commentators. His Super PAC, launched while in his conservative persona, was intended to highlight the influence of so-called dark money on the political process. Colbert ended up raising more than $1 million, with the proceeds donated to charity.
He left that position to work for former Texas Gov. Rick Perry's failed bid for the GOP presidential nomination, Politico reported.
In a statement to Politico back in 2011, Colbert praised Purpura's work and congratulated him on landing a job with the Perry campaign, describing him as "the best in the business."
Based in North Carolina, Purpura currently works on the campaigns of several other Republican politicians, according to his profile on LinkedIn, including Texas Sen. John Cornyn, Missouri Sen. John Hawley, and Florida Sen. Rick Scott.
His page boasts that he has "an extensive track record of planning and directing accounting functions in very innovative ways."
Purpura did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Have a news tip? Email this reporter: [email protected]