Trump files new election challenge, Georgia announces recount

By Jonathan Stempel and Jeff Mason

 

U.S. President Donald Trump turns after placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider as he attends a Veterans Day observance in the rain at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., November 11, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

 

(Reuters) - President Donald Trump's campaign on Wednesday took another step in its legal strategy to upend his U.S. election loss by filing a lawsuit in Michigan while Georgia announced a recount and President-elect Joe Biden focused on laying the foundation of his incoming administration.

 

The Republican president's team went to federal court to try to block Michigan, a Midwestern battleground state that he won in 2016, from certifying the Nov. 3 election results. Trump trailed by roughly 148,000 votes, or 2.6 percentage points, in unofficial Michigan vote totals.

 

Biden has a slimmer lead of just over 14,000 votes, or 0.3 points, in Georgia, a southern state that has not been carried by Democrats since 1992.

 

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced a hand recount of all ballots cast there, which he said was expected to begin this week and would be completed in time to certify the results by a Nov. 20 deadline.

 

Under pressure by fellow Republicans, Georgia's secretary of state ordered a full hand recount of ballots, citing the close lead President-elect Joe Biden has over President Donald Trump.

 

"It'll take every bit of the time that we have left, for sure. It's a big lift," Raffensperger told a news conference.

 

Trump has declined to concede the election to Biden, instead lodging a flurry of lawsuits in pivotal states to try to back up his unsupported claims of widespread voting fraud. The Michigan lawsuit also made allegations of misconduct in the voting, with the focus on the Democratic stronghold of Wayne County, which includes Detroit.

 

Jake Rollow, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of State, said the Trump campaign was promoting false claims to erode public confidence in Michigan's elections.

 

"It does not change the truth: Michigan's elections were conducted fairly, securely, transparently, and the results are an accurate reflection of the will of the people," Rollow said in a statement.

 

Prominent Republican lawmakers and other Trump allies have backed the president's strategy, saying he has the right to contest the election results. The suit was filed one day after Biden called Trump's failure to concede an "embarrassment."

 

Judges have tossed out several of the Trump lawsuits, and legal experts say the litigation has scant chance of changing the election outcome.

 

While acknowledging there was "no silver bullet" that would overturn the election, Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said Wednesday's developments were part of a process that could pave the way for a second Trump four-year term.

 

Earlier, the Trump campaign said it had evidence that a handful of dead people in Georgia had voted in last week's election.

 

VETERANS DAY

Biden last Saturday clinched victory in the election as he won a series of battleground states to exceed the 270 electoral votes needed in the state-by-state Electoral College. Biden was winning the national popular vote by more than 5 million votes, with some states still counting ballots.

 

Biden planned to meet with advisers on Wednesday who are helping him prepare to take office on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.

 

Trump placed a memorial wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, his first public appearance other than two golf outings since Biden was projected the winner on Saturday.

 

While Trump made no remarks at the cemetery, in Twitter posts on Wednesday he kept up his narrative of voter fraud, referring to "a mountain of corruption & dishonesty" while assailing pollsters.

 

Nearly 80% of Americans, including half of Republicans, say Biden won the election, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.

 

Trump's refusal to accept defeat, even as world leaders congratulate Biden and look to their future relations with the United States, caps a volatile nearly four years in office with the country deeply polarized and facing a sharp resurgence in coronavirus cases. During the campaign, Trump had refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power.

 

The Trump administration is not cooperating with Biden's transition team, which has been unable to move into federal government office space or tap funds to hire staff.

 

The election outcome in a small number of states remained undecided with Trump holding a lead in North Carolina and Biden ahead in Arizona in addition to Georgia. Recounts are unlikely to change the outcomes.

 

To remain in office, Trump would need to win all three undecided states plus overturn the results in one or more states in Biden's column.

 

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel, Jeff Mason, Andy Sullivan, Noeleen Walder and Jarrett Renshaw; Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Susan Heavey, Julia Harte, Jan Wolfe and Tim Ahmann; Writing by Daniel Trotta and Paul Simao; Editing by Ross Colvin, Will Dunham and Howard Goller)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-11-12

 

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What a circus!

Guess donald wants to lose twice lol ya can’t fix st&*#d lol 

The prat don't like losing does he?

Even when the result is clear and obvious.

Just making himself look a bigger idiot than he already is.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The election outcome in a small number of states remained undecided with Trump holding a lead in North Carolina and Biden ahead in Arizona in addition to Georgia. Recounts are unlikely to change the outcomes.

That about sums it up ! Georgia is performing a recount by hand

which is fully  in compliance with the election laws!

It reminds me of dotting the  I and crossing the T.

Then the loser gets a chance for a machine recount if it is required.

Fair enough!

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Tim Murtaugh said Wednesday's developments were part of a process that could pave the way for a second Trump four-year term.

"We now have that verifiable paper ballot for the first time in 18 years. We're gonna have something to count, instead of just pressing a button and getting the same answer. So we'll be counting every single piece of paper, every single ballot, every single lawfully cast legal ballot".

https://www.11alive.com/article/news/politics/elections/why-does-georgia-need-hand-recount/85-7978c039-c916-4ea0-820c-358c18462196

nbc affiliate 

Edited November 12, 20205 yr by riclag
txttxt

2 minutes ago, riclag said:

That about sums it up ! Georgia is performing a recount by hand

which is fully  in compliance with the election laws!

It reminds me of dotting the  I and crossing the T.

Then the loser gets a chance for a machine recount if it is required.

Fair enough!

"We now have that verifiable paper ballot for the first time in 18 years. We're gonna have something to count, instead of just pressing a button and getting the same answer. So we'll be counting every single piece of paper, every single ballot, every single lawfully cast legal ballot".

https://www.11alive.com/article/news/politics/elections/why-does-georgia-need-hand-recount/85-7978c039-c916-4ea0-820c-358c18462196

And, of course, if the recount or recounts confirm that Biden won, Trump supporters will overwhelmingly acknowledge the issue as settled as will the various media they get their information from. Allegations about conspiracies and widespread fraud will cease. It is to laugh.

It’s like a 3 year old screaming at the thought of a bandaid being remove - do it slowly or do it quick.

 

Trump dragging out the pain for himself and his supporters is no bad thing.

just run him off allready enough of this troll

2 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

What a circus!

A circus is meant to be entertaining.  This most certainly is anything but although it does make the USA a laughing stock if you call that entertainment!

Won't he just whinge about the recount too?

 

2016...

 

 

Edited November 12, 20205 yr by mtls2005

Georgia is doing the right thing! All the blue states that were ahead in the count should do the same thing, hand -count. After all if there is no corruption what do you have to hide?

Edited November 12, 20205 yr by vandeventer
miss spell

A second Trump term in 2024? Haven't Americans had enough of being lied to?

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Count away to your hearts content; it's not going to change a thing.....much to Trump fans annoyance

Did Stacey Abrams ever concede the Georgia governors race...or is she still claiming to have won the 2018 election? Sounds pretty Trump to me...but if you're a Democrat you get media and social praise for being a bad loser.

 

Why Stacey Abrams Is Still Saying She Won https://nyti.ms/2GPzF4l

 

Stacey Abrams’ False Claims About Election Integrity 

https://www.heritage.org/election-integrity/commentary/stacey-abrams-false-claims-about-election-integrity

I think the SDNY should test the DOJ's opinion regarding sitting President and file charges to put him away. Currently he is only a lame duck ex-President. SDNY has been focusing on alleged hush money, tax fraud, insurance fraud and bank fraud crimes. 

Don't understand the dems resistance to making sure the count is right. What are they afraid of?

9 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Did Stacey Abrams ever concede the Georgia governors race...or is she still claiming to have won the 2018 election? Sounds pretty Trump to me...but if you're a Democrat you get media and social praise for being a bad loser.

 

Why Stacey Abrams Is Still Saying She Won https://nyti.ms/2GPzF4l

 

Stacey Abrams’ False Claims About Election Integrity 

https://www.heritage.org/election-integrity/commentary/stacey-abrams-false-claims-about-election-integrity

That winning does not refer to her race with Kemp "I legally acknowledge that Brian Kemp secured a sufficient number of votes under our existing system to become the governor of Georgia. ".

Your second link is at best a very partial opinion piece.

2 hours ago, placeholder said:

And, of course, if the recount or recounts confirm that Biden won, Trump supporters will overwhelmingly acknowledge the issue as settled as will the various media they get their information from. Allegations about conspiracies and widespread fraud will cease. It is to laugh.

Nope, in the first part of his post he made clear already that the loser can demand a machine recount.

 

You think Trump will not take that chance to delay the results being known even further?

18 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Don't understand the dems resistance to making sure the count is right. What are they afraid of?

 

So you said this very thing four years ago of course.

 

I don't see anyone resisting anything. I mean other than trump and his enablers.

 

Presiednt-elect Joe Biden has said a few times to let the process move forward. He's not filing any lawsuits, AFAIK? He's not holding a presser at Four Seasons Total Landscaping? Heck, I don't even know who Joe's lawyer is?

 

The projection is strong with this one.

 

 

 

 

28 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Don't understand the dems resistance to making sure the count is right. What are they afraid of?

They afraid it is just a waste of tax payers money. 

6 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

So you said this very thing four years ago of course.

Was anyone demanding a recount 4 years ago?
if yes, was there any objection?

recounts are not uncommon
look at Bush v Gore
 

 

2 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

They afraid it is just a waste of tax payers money. 

Since when has any politician worried about wasting taxpayers money ?
c'mon man????‍♂️

1 hour ago, johnnybangkok said:

Count away to your hearts content; it's not going to change a thing.....much to Trump fans annoyance

"And Donald can be humiliated again and again lol

he such a idiot !!  a spoilt child cant accept he is not the man for usa 

1 hour ago, vandeventer said:

Georgia is doing the right thing! All the blue states that were ahead in the count should do the same thing, hand -count. After all if there is no corruption what do you have to hide?

There are clearly defined rules for when recounts happen or not. Those rules are not “if it’s a blue state” and they neither are “recount anyway if you don’t have anything to hide.”

 

And we all know how these recounts will turn out: If they confirm Biden  won that state, then it’s “fraud” again. The lawsuits will follow the same path: If the courts throw them out, then it’s the “deep state”. 
 

This is all about a sociopath wannabe dictator, his radical followers, and a party that has for a long time manipulated the system towards minority rule (because they know their ideas would never fly with a majority) trying to destroy democracy and steal an election by creating doubts among those that can easily be manipulated. 
 

 

 

Edited November 12, 20205 yr by welovesundaysatspace

1 hour ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Did Stacey Abrams ever concede the Georgia governors race...or is she still claiming to have won the 2018 election? Sounds pretty Trump to me...but if you're a Democrat you get media and social praise for being a bad loser.

 

Why Stacey Abrams Is Still Saying She Won https://nyti.ms/2GPzF4l

 

Stacey Abrams’ False Claims About Election Integrity 

https://www.heritage.org/election-integrity/commentary/stacey-abrams-false-claims-about-election-integrity

There's a huge difference. Kemp refused to resign or recuse himsel while he was running for governor. As Secretary of State he used his position to eliminate karge numbers go black voters from the rolls. Clearly it was unethical to continue in that position.

3 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It’s like a 3 year old screaming at the thought of a bandaid being remove - do it slowly or do it quick

It is like a teenage girl who is just a little bit pregnant,if i pretend i am not it will go away.

There will be no second coming of Trump.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

President Donald Trump's campaign on Wednesday took another step in its legal strategy to upend

the democratic process. 

What a farce. A recount in Georgia might make sense because it's relatively narrow, but Michigan? It's clear for everyone to see that nothing will change there. Just another silly attempt to delay the inevitable. An embarrassment, indeed.

 

Trump was summed up when a reporter asked him what the J stands for in Donald J Trump .

His reply ? 

“Genius “ !!

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

Don't understand the dems resistance to making sure the count is right. What are they afraid of?

 

Funny how only the Presidential votes are under such scrutiny. What about the House and Senate races? Basically, the MAGA team is stating that there was voter fraud/manipulation for just the Presidential ticket but these fraudsters were not smart enough to fake/manipulate votes for down ballot democrats. Yeah, right that make sense. Not.