Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein is raising money to call for a recount in three states: Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. She said that it was necessary due to “reported hacks into voter and party databases and individual email accounts are causing many Americans to wonder if our election results are reliable.” A Wisconsin recount request was filed on Friday.
However, it appears that Stein’s efforts to obtain a recount are nothing more than a scam. Here are seven reasons why.
1. There is no evidence that the election results weren’t reliable. As the Daily Wire has explained, there is nothing to suggest that the electronic voting machines were hacked. Donald Trump’s advantage over Hillary Clinton in electronic voting was a result of demographics, not a hack, and Michigan’s ballots were all paper. The entire premise for Stein’s recount is false.
2. When Stein first announced her recount efforts, her goal was to reach $2.5 million. Now it’s $7 million. Stein has raised $5 million since Wednesday, causing the goal to rise from $2.5 million to $4.5 million to $7 million, according to National Public Radio. What caused the sudden rise in Stein’s fundraising goal?
3. Stein’s legal costs suddenly surged. Per Townhall:
As @DrJillStein‘s #Recount2016 campaign nears $2 mil, she changes total goal to $6 or $7 mil. pic.twitter.com/L4oawAoqOO
— David Fishman (@davidpkfishman) November 24, 2016
Why would her legal fees suddenly rise by that much over a short period of time?
4. Stein can’t guarantee that the recounts will actually happen. “We cannot guarantee a recount will happen any of these states,” Stein’s website states. “We can only pledge we will demand recounts in those states.”
READ THE FINE PRINT: There probably won’t be a recount and Jill Stein will line her pockets with the money for “integrity efforts” #NoRefund pic.twitter.com/a3fF5JOpGP
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) November 24, 2016
That’s kind of an important detail.
5. Stein’s website also states that excess money will go towards “election integrity efforts.”
“If we raise more than what’s needed, the surplus will also go toward election integrity efforts and to promote voting system reform,” the website reads. What exactly that kind of reform will be was not specified by Stein, leaving the possibility open that the money will simply be funneled back to the Green Party.
“This is Democrat party fundraising at its best because ultimately all the Greens are are Democrats with bad personal hygiene who failed economics and history,” writes RedState blogger streiff. “Stein’s fundraising appeal using a recount that is never going to happen will go down as one of the greatest bait-and-switch scams in political history.”
6. It is highly unlikely that Stein would be able to pull off a recount in Pennsylvania.
There is no way that Jill Stein is actually going to do all this by Monday, the deadline for a recount in PA — the fundraising is a ruse. pic.twitter.com/tIFPsuUsiD
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) November 25, 2016
And even if Stein were to clear all those hurdles by Monday, the recount still would likely fall through, and Trump would still be president:
All three states — WI, MI, PA — would have to be overturned in order for Hillary to win the electoral college. 2 out of 3 is not enough.
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) November 25, 2016
Recounts have only the slightest chance of overturning the result if the margin is in the hundreds. Trump leads in PA by 68,814. #ItsOver
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) November 25, 2016
7. Both the left and the right on Twitter are calling Stein’s recount efforts a scam. Via SooperMexican:
Not saying this Jill Stein thing is a scam, but if it were a scam, it would probably look a lot like this. https://t.co/pg4eAuFQ4h
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 25, 2016
Jill Stein’s racket is incredible:
Step 1: Cost the Dem the Election
Step 2: wait for Trump panic
Step 3: Bilk millions for recount.— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) November 25, 2016
Folks giving Jill Stein money “for a recount” are gonna be ripped off.
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) November 24, 2016
When even Matt Yglesias is accusing Stein of running a scam, then it’s probably a scam.
(h/t: LawNewz)