Super-PAC forms to ‘Draft Ryan’ for the White House
A new super-PAC has formed to pressure Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) into launching a bid for the White House.
The “Committee to Draft Speaker Ryan” filed official paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday, according to agency records.
{mosads}FEC documents list David Satterfield as the organization’s founder, but provide no further details about its mission or purpose. Satterfield on late Thursday told Politico he will publicly reveal more information on Friday, and he refused further comment.
The group also has a website available at draftspeakerryan.com but notes the portal remains “under construction.” It sports a red, white and blue color scheme alongside a logo and urges that visitors “come back soon.”
Asked about the “Draft Ryan” effort, AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for the Speaker, said: “He is flattered, but not interested.”
Satterfield’s LinkedIn profile lists him as the former treasurer for Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, who served as both a Democratic and Republican lawmaker before his death in 2012.
The Sunlight Foundation reported in 2012 that he operated a super-PAC with ties to Republican mega donor Sheldon Adelson.
The “Republicans for a Prosperous America” group raised nearly $1.7 million in a single day, using most of its funds for advertisements criticizing President Obama in Jewish communities like Las Vegas and Miami.
Thursday’s news comes amid particularly bitter Republican in-fighting between GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump and establishment party members.
Ryan admitted on Thursday that he “laughed out loud,” for example, when the outspoken billionaire seemingly threatened him earlier this week.
Trump on Tuesday argued that the House Speaker, just four months into his new role, would pay a “big price” if he does not play nice with the potential president.
Establishment Republicans are panicking over Trump’s popularity with voters, fearing the real estate tycoon lacks the experience and temperament for defeating Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton.
Ryan is not the only GOP lawmaker opportunistic super-PACs are eyeing as possible foils for Trump, however.
FEC filings on Thursday also indicted the existence of a “Draft Sasse Committee,” a group aimed at getting Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), a vocal Trump critic, into the White House.
Updated at 8:59 p.m.