Trump faces likely setback in Georgia recount, drops Michigan lawsuit

By Andy Sullivan and Michael Martina

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump walks down the West Wing colonnade from the Oval Office to the Rose Garden to deliver an update on the so-called "Operation Warp Speed" program, the joint Defense Department and HHS initiative that has struck deals with several drugmakers in an effort to help speed up the search for effective treatments for the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 13, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON/DETROIT (Reuters) - The U.S. presidential election battleground state of Georgia was expected on Thursday to affirm Joe Biden's victory over Donald Trump after a painstaking recount, as Trump's re-election campaign said it was withdrawing a lawsuit in Michigan.

 

The official in charge of implementing Georgia's voting systems, Gabriel Sterling, told Fox News the state's audit and recount were nearly complete and on track to verify Biden's advantage. He called accusations of voter irregularities "wild mischaracterizations."

 

"The good part was: the audit did its job" in finding a few small batches of uncounted votes that were being tallied that morning, he said. "The recount is going great."

 

In the state-by-state Electoral College that determines the winner of the election, Biden, a Democrat, has captured 306 electoral votes to Republican Trump's 232, well ahead of the 270 needed for victory. The winner in each state is awarded that state's electoral votes, a number roughly proportional to the population.

 

Trump's campaign has filed lawsuits in a number of states with scant success so far. Those legal motions, sprinkled with factual errors, have been dismissed by Biden's campaign as "theatrics."

 

President Donald Trump's attempts to cling to power appeared more tenuous than ever on Wednesday as election officials in Georgia and Wisconsin said recounts were not likely to change the election outcome in those states. This report produced by Chris Dignam with legal analysis from Jan Wolfe.

 

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said on Thursday the campaign was withdrawing its lawsuit challenging the vote results in Michigan, where this week Biden was certified as the winner in a tangled series of events.

 

Two Republican members of the Wayne County board of canvassers on Tuesday initially voted to block certification of the vote before reversing their decision after angry public reaction.

 

But both then signed affidavits on Wednesday seeking to cancel their confirmation of Biden's win, saying they had changed their positions under pressure. A spokesman for the Michigan secretary of state's office said the after-the-fact statement did not stop the ballots from being certified.

 

One of the two, Monica Palmer, on Thursday confirmed by text message to Reuters that Trump had called her to check in after certification of the vote.

 

Trump has a dwindling number of options to overturn the results of an election in which Biden won 5.8 million more votes nationwide. Biden is due to be sworn in on Jan. 20.

 

Critics say Trump's refusal to concede has serious implications for national security and the fight against the coronavirus, which has killed more than 250,000 Americans.

 

Among other concerns, the administration has held up funding and security clearances for Biden staffers to ease the presidential transition.

 

'A DEEPER PROBLEM'

In Pennsylvania, where Biden won by 82,000 votes, the Trump campaign is asking a judge to declare him the winner there, saying its Republican-controlled legislature should choose the state's 20 Electoral College voters.

 

In Wisconsin, the Trump campaign has paid for or a partial recount, even though election officials there say that will likely only add to Biden's 20,000-vote advantage in a state that carries 10 electoral votes.

 

Several prominent law firms have pulled out of the Trump campaign's legal operation, leaving Trump's personal lawyer Giuliani to spearhead the efforts.

 

Trump said on Twitter on Thursday that lawyers would discuss a "viable path to victory" at a news conference at noon ET (1700 GMT).

 

State and federal election officials, as well as outside experts, say Trump's argument that the election was stolen from him by widespread voter fraud has no basis in fact.

 

However, it does appear to be affecting public confidence in American democracy. A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Wednesday found about half of Republicans believe Trump "rightfully won" the election.

 

Arizona's top election official, Democrat Katie Hobbs, said she and her family had been getting violent threats and urged Trump to stop casting doubt on the result, in which he lost by just over 10,000 votes.

 

"(The threats) are a symptom of a deeper problem in our state and country - the consistent and systematic undermining of trust in each other and our democratic process," Hobbs said in a statement.

 

Trump, who has largely stayed in the White House and kept out of public view since the election, has no public events scheduled for Thursday.

 

(Reporting by Andy Sullivan, Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu in Washington, additional reporting by Michael Martina in Detroit; Writing by Daniel Trotta and Sonya Hepinstall; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-11-20

 

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Dead in the water, and even the lawyers are leaving the sinking ship.

Get lost you clown, take your defeat on the chin like the man child you are! You are making the whole process laughable, take the other clown  Giuliani with you! You are disgraces to America!

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

Dead in the water, and even the lawyers are leaving the sinking ship.

Don't underestimate this criminal and his sycophants. Bad blood has been stirred up in the house, the senate and the whole country, division and hatred is the order of the day and this will make governing for Biden extremely difficult.

Conspiracy post and replies reported and removed. 

 

"Several prominent law firms have pulled out of the Trump campaign's legal operation, leaving Trump's personal lawyer Giuliani to spearhead the efforts."

 

Trump really is <deleted> now.

1 minute ago, edwinchester said:

"Several prominent law firms have pulled out of the Trump campaign's legal operation, leaving Trump's personal lawyer Giuliani to spearhead the efforts."

 

Trump really is <deleted> now.

No that bit comes when he leaves office and loses his Presidential Privileges That are shielding him from indictment.

 

We know for sure NY has had a Grand Jury investigating his taxes and financial transactions, and Grand Juries have only one purpose.

Georgia just certified it's votes. Biden won.

What a ghastly process it all is. All Usofans should be ashamed that they have an antique jerry-built electoral system that encourages dishonest and malevolent people to fiddle the figures and outcomes.

Did anyone see Giuliani yesterday at his press conference. He was sweating so much that his hair dye started running downing his cheeks, masses of the stuff....he had to mop it off....LOL.

1 hour ago, soalbundy said:

Don't underestimate this criminal and his sycophants. Bad blood has been stirred up in the house, the senate and the whole country, division and hatred is the order of the day and this will make governing for Biden extremely difficult.

Criminal exactly what crimes has he been convicted of! Sources please

13 minutes ago, riclag said:

Criminal exactly what crimes has he been convicted of! Sources please

e.g. various scams such as charity and trump university, used out of Court settlements but without question criminal in nature. Lots more to come to light of day via NY Courts.

Edited November 20, 20205 yr by simple1

19 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

Did anyone see Giuliani yesterday at his press conference. He was sweating so much that his hair dye started running downing his cheeks, masses of the stuff....he had to mop it off....LOL.

For a moment I thought the cerebrum fluid that control thinking and intelligence was leaking. 

29 minutes ago, riclag said:

Criminal exactly what crimes has he been convicted of! Sources please

He's being investigated for tax fraud, misrepresentation of assets by at least deutsche bank (they want their money back or seizure of assets) apparently there is a lot waiting in the pipeline apart from private cases concerning rape and defamation, let us see what happens about misuse of public funds and campaign money (probably why his lawyers jumped ship)

2 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

He's being investigated for tax fraud, misrepresentation of assets by at least deutsche bank (they want their money back or seizure of assets) apparently there is a lot waiting in the pipeline apart from private cases concerning rape and defamation, let us see what happens about misuse of public funds and campaign money (probably why his lawyers jumped ship)

 

He certainly behaves like someone with something to hide.  And what, exactly, does Putin have on him?

Can a sitting president ignore accusations of treason against a previous president?  We may get an answer to this in the near future.

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

Georgia just certified it's votes. Biden won.

Which is now why Trump is pressuring Georgian congressional state Republicans through a White House invitation to ignore the certification and declare all electoral votes for Trump - legally valid votes now irrelevant. 

1 hour ago, mfd101 said:

What a ghastly process it all is. All Usofans should be ashamed that they have an antique jerry-built electoral system that encourages dishonest and malevolent people to fiddle the figures and outcomes.

Yes, Trump's efforts to rig the electoral college are deplorable.  He never figured out that all Republicans are not personally loyal to him.  He forgot to have Hitler's oath administered at the beginning of his administration.

To go to court in Michigan was an even more desperate move than elsewhere, considering the substantial lead Biden has there.

 

No voter fraud anywhere.

 

Time to pack up and get ready to leave, Donald!

 

1 hour ago, riclag said:

Criminal exactly what crimes has he been convicted of! Sources please

Maybe he subscribes to Trump's legal standards. The Lockemup school of legal theory.

add tampering with a Federal election to the charges

7 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Dead in the water, and even the lawyers are leaving the sinking ship.

And lawyers have a particularly keen sense of danger and self-preservation. 

If Comrade Donnie is a loser and dumbest person in the room, what does that say about his supporters!!!!! Lock him up!!

Dumber and Dumber and the show goes on. Shame on the gutless Republican party for not standing up for democracy, Hope in the run off senate race the Dems take both seats. maybe then the Republicans will see the will  of the people counts, not the tantrums of the man child who lost the Presidency.

4 hours ago, mfd101 said:

What a ghastly process it all is. All Usofans should be ashamed that they have an antique jerry-built electoral system that encourages dishonest and malevolent people to fiddle the figures and outcomes.

It's a truly horrible system no question, but there is no evidence of "dishonest and malevolent people (trying) to fiddle the figures and outcomes"

15 minutes ago, Paul Henry said:

Dumber and Dumber and the show goes on. Shame on the gutless Republican party for not standing up for democracy, Hope in the run off senate race the Dems take both seats. maybe then the Republicans will see the will  of the people counts, not the tantrums of the man child who lost the Presidency.

Looking at the election result, that is not going to happen. Trump was rejected, Republicans clearly not.

4 hours ago, riclag said:

Criminal exactly what crimes has he been convicted of! Sources please

Maybe you don't consider stealing money from a charity, a crime..........

 

Trump Pays $2 Million to 8 Charities for Misuse of Foundation
Under a settlement, the president admitted he had used his charity to bolster his campaign and settle business debts.
President Trump has paid $2 million to eight charities as part of a settlement in which the president admitted he misused funds raised by the Donald J. Trump Foundation to promote his presidential bid and pay off business debts, the New York State attorney general said on Tuesday.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/nyregion/trump-foundation-lawsuit-attorney-general.html 

4 hours ago, riclag said:

Criminal exactly what crimes has he been convicted of! Sources please

None as he has presidential immunity. Just wait until next year. Should be fun to watch.

4 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

None as he has presidential immunity. Just wait until next year. Should be fun to watch.

And the wagons are circling.

 

https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-news-new-york-attorney-general-probes-trump-consulting-payments-that-reduced-his-taxes/790b94a9-ba9e-4b90-b296-3d115aafdd4a

4 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

Did anyone see Giuliani yesterday at his press conference. He was sweating so much that his hair dye started running downing his cheeks, masses of the stuff....he had to mop it off....LOL.

That wasn't a hair dye !!! I never saw that someone sweated so much thai the hair dye run off.

But I think him sweated out the s.h.i.t of himself!!! ????

4 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

For a moment I thought the cerebrum fluid that control thinking and intelligence was leaking. 

Judging by what comes out of his mouth I don't think there's much left that could leak.