Paul Ryan to 'Draft Ryan' PAC: Cut It Out

Paul Ryan ultimately gave in to the calls that he run for speaker of the House, but it doesn't look like he's going to change his mind about running for president. A group called the Committee to Draft Speaker Ryan recently registered with the US Federal Election Commission as a super PAC, and while Ryan's press secretary initially only said the speaker was "flattered but not interested," his team is now taking things further. On Thursday, Ryan's political operation is sending the group a cease-and-desist letter, Reuters reports. The Committee's intent was to convince Ryan to jump into the presidential race, not a surprising mission considering how often Ryan's name has been mentioned by establishment Republicans seeking an alternative to Donald Trump.

The group has been trying to get a million signatures on its online petition to draft Ryan into the race. The cease-and-desist letter tells the organization to stop giving any indication it is raising funds to assist with a hypothetical Ryan campaign, and says, "We believe the actions of your organization are not in compliance with federal law and may constitute fraudulent solicitation of funds." It was sent to the group's treasurer, but a spokesperson for the group tells Reuters it has not yet been received. "The Committee to Draft Speaker Ryan is simply a patriotic effort to save our party and save our country," he adds. (More Paul Ryan stories.)