The escalating scandal over Jill Stein's recount effort continued this morning, when President-elect Donald Trump early Sunday predicted on Twitter that a recount effort in three states will not change the results of the election. “Hillary Clinton conceded the election when she called me just prior to the victory speech and after the results were in. Nothing will change,” he tweeted.
Hillary Clinton conceded the election when she called me just prior to the victory speech and after the results were in. Nothing will change
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
Incidentally the same sentiment was shared by Bernie Sanders on CNN who said that "no one expects there to be profound change" from the recount:
Sen. Bernie Sanders: "No one expects there to be profound change" from the recount https://t.co/6OZtrfIwim #CNNSOTU https://t.co/QIA3KFbvlF
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) November 27, 2016
As reported previously, on Friday Green Party candidate Jill Stein filed for a recount in Wisconsin, and is concurrently raising the funds needed for similar efforts in Michigan and Pennsylvania, all battleground states won by Donald Trump. Stein on Saturday defended her push after Trump called it a "scam" to fill Green Party coffers.
“The point to drive home here is that having a secure elections process benefits us all,” Stein said during an appearance on CNN’s “Newsroom.”
Making matters more complicated, on Saturday an attorney for Hillary Clinton’s campaign said on Saturday it will participate in the Wisconsin recount. What was surprising is that Marc Elias, the campaign’s general counsel, effectively admitted there was no grounds for a recount when he emphasized that analysts employed by the campaign have largely found no evidence to conclude that the election was sabotaged.
“The campaign is grateful to all those who have expended time and effort to investigate various claims of abnormalities and irregularities,” Elias wrote in a Medium post. “While that effort has not, in our view, resulted in evidence of manipulation of results, now that a recount is underway, we believe we have an obligation to the more than 64 million Americans who cast ballots for Hillary Clinton to participate in ongoing proceedings to ensure that an accurate vote count will be reported.”
Trump later blasted the participation of "badly defeated & demoralized Dems," saying they initially asked for "election night tabulation" to be accepted.
The Clinton flip-flopping on the issue was not lost on Trump, however, who also on Sunday pointed to Hillary Clinton’s remarks after he suggested during the final presidential debate that he might not accept the election’s results.
“It was horrifying what he said,” Clinton told reporters.
Hillary's debate answer on delay: "That is horrifying. That is not the way our democracy works. Been around for 240 years. We've had free --
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
and fair elections. We've accepted the outcomes when we may not have liked them, and that is what must be expected of anyone standing on a -
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
during a general election. I, for one, am appalled that somebody that is the nominee of one of our two major parties would take that kind --
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
of position." Then, separately she stated, "He said something truly horrifying ... he refused to say that he would respect the results of --
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
this election. That is a direct threat to our democracy." She then said, "We have to accept the results and look to the future, Donald --
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
Trump is going to be our President. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead." So much time and money will be spent - same result! Sad
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
As Politico adds, Kellyanne Conway, a top Trump aide, picked up where Trump left off, calling the recount “ridiculously fantastical” and accusing Democrats of being unwilling to accept the election results.
Conway, during a Sunday interview on ABC’s “This Week,” hit back at Stein, saying the number of votes she won in Wisconsin is “like the number of people who tailgate at a Packers game. It is not a serious effort.”
We expect the "recount" issue to dominate the news cycle until Stein either succeeds in challenging Michigan and Pennsylvania, or her effort is aborted by local authorities.