Jill Stein has abruptly dropped her bid for a statewide recount in Pennsylvania.
BREAKING NEWS: BOWING OUT: Green Party suspends its recount effort in Pennsylvania https://t.co/ZCwe3oy1mG
— Fox News Alert (@foxnewsalert) December 3, 2016
Philly.com has more:
Former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein discontinued her statewide recount effort in Pennsylvania Saturday afternoon after a Commonwealth Court judge mandated the campaign post a $1 million bond to press on with its challenge.
In court documents filed shortly before 5 p.m., an attorney for the Stein campaign wrote, “Petitioners are regular citizens of ordinary means. They cannot afford to post the $1,000,000 bond required by the Court.” The abrupt halt to the campaign’s effort comes less than one week after Stein filed a recount petition in Commonwealth Court, contending the Nov. 8 election was “illegal” and the results inaccurate.“The judge’s outrageous demand that voters pay such an exorbitant figure is a shameful, unacceptable barrier to democratic participation,” Stein said in a statement Saturday. “This is yet another sign that Pennsylvania’s antiquated election law is stacked against voters.”
According to her statement, she plans to hold a news conference about the recount effort Monday morning outside Trump Tower in New York City.
Meanwhile, Stein’s campaign intends to continue its county-by-county recount effort in Pennsylvania, said attorney Larry Otter. That requires efforts in individual precincts - a process that requires three voters to petition their local election boards.
Recounts are currently underway in Bucks, Montgomery and Delaware counties, Otter said.
It appears Stein is also still carrying on her efforts in Michigan and Wisconsin. In Michigan, dueling lawsuits are underway, after the state attorney general sued Stein to stop the recount on the grounds that Stein has acknowledged she has no evidence that fraud or widespread errors were committed. Meanwhile, Stein filed suit against state election officials late Friday to speed up the recount.
In case anyone’s still wondering whether all of this is a colossal waste of time, attention and money, Wisconsin’s recount at Stein’s bidding is already underway. After the third day of recounting, Hillary has indeed picked up a few votes — 126, to be precise. The only problem? Trump has picked up 138 — which, for you math-challenged liberals out there, puts Trump at a net gain so far of 12 votes over Hillary.
WI has posted the spreadsheet for Day 3. Current count of completed precincts: 1077. Trump added (overall) 138, Hillary 126, for Trump +12.
— Ed Morrissey (@EdMorrissey) December 3, 2016
There are many theories about what Stein hopes to accomplish with these shenanigans — publicity, fundraising, prevent some states’ electors from casting their votes or just generally diminishing the legitimacy of President-elect Trump’s election.
Whatever the true motives, the biggest accomplishment thus far — besides a colossal waste of time and money — is diminishing Stein’s own legitimacy (if that is even possible to fall from where she started) and that of everyone involved in this fool’s errand.
[This article was written by Michelle Jesse, Associate Editor]
