Trump team moves to block Pennsylvania recount

[JonLP24]

Source: Politico


By CRISTIANO LIMA 12/02/16 12:10 AM EST
Attorneys for President-elect Donald Trump have moved to block the vote recount in Pennsylvania, adding to complaints filed to stop similar proceedings in Michigan and Wisconsin.

"Despite being no more than a blip on the electoral radar, Stein has now commandeered Pennsylvania's electoral process, with an eye toward doing the same to the Electoral College," the complaint filed Thursday states. "There is no evidence -- or even an allegation -- that any tampering with Pennsylvania's voting systems actually occurred."

Story Continued Below


The filing comes on the heels of the Trump camp's complaint reported earlier Thursday in Michigan dismissing Green Party candidate Jill Stein's claims of impropriety during the 2016 presidential race, and a day after the the Wisconsin Republican Party logged a complaint with the Federal Election Committee arguing that Stein was seeking to benefit Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton.

Stein rejected the president-elect's efforts as "outrageous" Thursday.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/trump-pennsylvania-recount-232103

[DFW]

1. Mestillthinks they doth protest too much

These are not the words of people who are confident an investigation will uncover nothing, and change no results.

[Reece2076]

13. My thoughts exactly

The other day I saw a post that said they think the recounts won't matter because Trumps people are not even worried about them. I thought if that were true then they know there weren't any shenanigans, and they were confident a recount would yield the same results. However, now that they are trying to block the recounts, I'm starting to suspect they are trying to hide something.

[RobinA]

15. The Count Was So Close

in PA, it seems to me a recount could send it the other way just due to simple error. I don't know how accurate counts normally are, but I would assume there is some error build in without any shenanigans whatsoever. If I won PA by the margin Trump did, I would not want a recount even if I did nothing wrong. Too close for comfort.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

17. Precisely! I hava good feeling about this.

[lagomorph777]

21. He is publicly admitting he rigged the election.

Even if he ends up pulling it off technically, the only reason to oppose the recount is because he rigged it and doesn't want to get caught. That will be glaringly obvious to the majority of Americans who didn't fall under his narcissistic spell. He is deeply damaging the perceived legitimacy of his reign. He is also setting up the GOP for disaster in 2018, if there is indeed ever another election.

[DFW]

22. Don't bet on a Republican disaster in 2018

Until elections are guaranteed to be held fairly in the USA, with universal voter registration and no voter suppression or counting fraud, no disaster for the GOP should ever be a serious prediction, no matter how obvious it might seem beforehand (see Nov. 8th of this year).

[lagomorph777]

23. Fair point.

We have to work from the ground up, the way they did, and root out the evil in our electoral system.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

2. Every election ought to automatically be recounted, audited, and whatever else is needed

to guarantee the integrity. Take some of the tax cuts back from the 1% and get the money problem out of our political system at all levels.

Yeah, I know--snowball's chance in hell, especially now that the 1% completely owns US.

[DetlefK]

6. Actually, electoral systems are supposed to be so robust that they don't need recounts/audits.

The US electoral system is an absolute Third World, banana-republic laughingstock and so error-prone (from voter-registry to vote-count) that I cannot understand how anybody in the US can have any trust in the elections.

It's absolutely ridiculous and a shame that the biggest democracy of planet Earth puts more emphasis on upholding archaic political traditions than on guaranteeing fair democratic elections.

[JonLP24]

8. Plus 1

[DFW]

18. Actually, we're by far NOT the largest democracy on earth

With somewhere over three times our population, that honor would go to India. We just shout louder and strut with more bravado. Whether or not it is justified is another matter entirely.

[RobinA]

16. Does Anyone Know,

or know of a source of information, on what the normal error is in any election count? I would assume it varies according type of voting, etc. I mean, absentees alone seem to me to have to be hand counted. And based on the hanging chad mess, some voting methods seem to have significant room for error build in.

I agree with your comment above. The way elections have gone lately...

[lagomorph777]

24. The highest error rate is definitely touchscreen machines.

The sole purpose of the touchscreens is to enable election-stealing.

[lostnfound]

38. Definitely more than three states. Wish they'd pick a few more

[MADem]

3. On the heels of that letter to Obama saying "Declassify the shenanigans...?" Yep, they're scared. nt

[tirebiter]

4. Those charges are absurd on their face

Stein wouldn't do anything to benefit Hillary Clinton

[smirkymonkey]

5. Why? What could they possibly be worried about?

[Firebrand Gary]

7. They're awfully nervous. nt

[elias7]

9. Trump has been saying it was rigged all along.

Is his team acknowledging he has been full of it?

[NewJeffCT]

10. it sounds that way

but, his supporters won't read the fine print of the charges.

[Vinca]

11. By protesting the country make sure the vote isn't "rigged,"

they are reinforcing the notion that it is.

[ck4829]

12. If there is no allegation of tampering, why did they just deny it?

[Achilleaze]

14. If the Republicans are not guilty of anything, why are they afraid of democracy?

They must be trying to hide something.

[TeddyBear 1]

19. I just do not understand

why this is not making top news on the major news sites? Trump is blocking the recounts on an election he stated many times it is "rigged".. Makes no sense to me and makes me wonder if it was really rigged?

The recount should go on to prove to Trump it was not "rigged".. but he is fighting it.. ?????? UGH!

[ananda]

20. Of course it was rigged!

By the Reeps and for the Reeps!

[wisteria]

33. We are all suppose to just accept the results, accept Trump,

And believe all his and the Republican lies. No matter she won a whopping majority of the popular vote.

[wordpix]

36. of course it's rigged in favor of Trump---recall he said he should just be installed

and forget the election! Seems he knew something was up, in advance.

[bucolic_frolic]

25. What are they afraid of? What are they trying to cover up?

Sunshine and openness make investigations honest

Coverups are scandalous, they are trying to hide the truth!!

[Brother Buzz]

26. When I buy an election I expect it to stay bought - Trump

[Island Blue]

27. Well that speaks volumes, doesn't it?

What the fuck are you afraid of Drumph?

[Guilded Lilly]

28. Different sets of rules for Republicans of course...

Because they have relied so long on the timidity and cowering of the media and opposition parties to challenge their blatant, blowhard, lying crap, they actually believe they are above the rules/law.

Stick it to them, with a very pointed shaft.

[Sunlei]

30. The 20,000 new found votes must have scared the Republicans.

[JudyM]

31. Yep. Now that they've sidled up to tRump and have a sense of comfort he's playing for them...

[wisteria]

32. Count the votes. What are they afraid of?

It was ok to call it rigged, but now we are all suppose to just accept this result, and this POS as our president?

[riversedge]

34. Trumpsters are trying hard in all 3 states to stop the recounts. This is wrong. I am under

no illusion that it will make a difference in the final outcome (sad) but the process exists for a recount and they should go forward.

[Sunlei]

35. still should go back to the small districts in florida and report/record all anomalies.

all ballots reported as Blank that went through those buggie, ancient, optical scanners.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

37. I thought Drumpf wanted to find the 3 million illegals?

[Deb]

39. I would hate to stop spending $ in PA if they choose no recount.

Now, wouldn't you too?