Wisconsin Republicans slammed Hillary Clinton for joining Green Party candidate Jill Stein’s request for a hand recount of ballots cast on Election Day that put the state in President-elect Trump’s column.
“Hillary Clinton will say or do anything to hold onto power, and now she’s doing everything possible to help steal the election in Wisconsin,” Wisconsin GOP spokesman Pat Garrett told the Washington Examiner, soon after Clinton officially filed a motion to join Stein’s legal action. “This behavior is nothing new; throughout this campaign she put politics above everything else and that is exactly why she lost.”
The state Democratic Party also immediately jumped in.
“As you know, a electoral recount has been initiated in Wisconsin,” a Wisconsin Democratic Party email blasted out to supporters shortly after Clinton announced her action. “Recounts are significant undertakings with a lot of moving parts, which is why it takes all hands on deck to ensure that the proceedings run smoothly and fairly for everyone.”
It also offered a way for Democrats to volunteer to observe the recount, if a state judge signs off on it.
Wisconsin Republicans were also quick to question the impartiality of Dane County Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn, who will have to decide whether to grant Stein’s request.
They pointed out her donations to Democrat Kelda Roys’ unsuccessful 2012 congressional bid. Bailey-Rihn’s was a lawyer in private practice then. She was elected judge last year.
