US president-elect Donald Trump’s supporters filed court motions on Friday to try to block statewide recounts in Pennsylvania.
Days before a Commonwealth Court hearing in Pennsylvania on the request for a statewide recount from Green Party candidate Jill Stein, the state Republican Party urged the court to reject the request. In a motion made public Friday, they said a recount “puts Pennsylvania at grave risk” of not meeting a federal deadline to certify its votes.
We won’t stand down as Donald Trump and his allies seeks to frivolously obstruct the legal processes set up to ensure the accuracy, security, and fairness of our election
“The legal antics of that election’s fourth-place finisher suddenly meddle with Pennsylvania’s electoral participation,” attorneys for the state Republican party and Trump’s campaign wrote in their court filing.
Commonwealth Court has scheduled a Monday hearing on the recount petition.
In a lawsuit seeking the recount, Stein’s campaign cited research by computer scientists suggesting possible irregularities with electronic voting machines.
Stein supporters also filed petitions for recounts in precincts around the state. In Philadelphia, recounts were underway on Friday; a judge rejected petitions for recount in Montgomery County this week, and Bucks County will hold a hearing on Tuesday.
In Allegheny County judge rejected a Republican bid to avert a recount of vote totals in 52 of the county’s precincts Friday, and a partial recount will take place on Monday.