A quick update to Paul’s post on CRP’s invitation to track mystery PACs. The Penguin PAC, one of the 31 political action committees that our friends at the Center for Responsive Politics listed as an “anonymous” leadership PAC, does indeed belong to Rep. Tim Ryan. I called Fraioli & Associates to confirm what their Web site seemed to indicate, that Ryan had a connection to Penguin PAC.

And here’s a few suggestions on tracking these things if searching for the name of the PAC doesn’t turn up anything:

– Find the name of the treasurer and the street address of the Mystery PAC. (CRP provides the names of the treasurers on each PAC page — like this one; the street address can be found on the raw FEC filings, which can be accessed from that same CRP page).
– Google the address, and see what turns up. If the mystery PAC shares a mailing address with a member of Congress, you’ve got a pretty firm lead. Of course, you’ll still have to confirm the information with someone…
– Track down the treasurer. Do this whether or not you find a match for the address, and ask the treasurer whether the PAC is a member’s leadership PAC, and if so, whose. Use Google to find the treasurer, or–even easier–check the FEC filing for the “Statement of Organization” — the form requires the treasurer to provide a phone number. Incidentally, you can also google a phone number the same way you google an address.

Good hunting!