Trump: 'The People Have Spoken, The Election Is Over'
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- President-elect Donald Trump is condemning the push to force recounts in three states pivotal to his Nov. 8 victory.
In a statement released by his transition team, Trump called the developing recount effort "a scam."
"This is a scam by the Green Party for an election that has already been conceded, and the results of this election should be respected instead of being challenged and abused, which is exactly what Jill Stein is doing," he said. "The people have spoken and the election is over."
Until now, Trump had ignored Green Party nominee Jill Stein's fight to revisit vote totals in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. But Democratic rival Hillary Clinton forced his hand today by formally joining the effort.
Clinton's campaign attorney posted a statement online, saying "Now that a recount has been initiated in Wisconsin, we intend to participate in order to ensure the process proceeds in a manner that is fair to all sides. If Jill Stein follows through as she has promised and pursues recounts in Pennsylvania and Michigan, we will take the same approach in those states as well."
Clinton's team said it has not found any evidence of hacking or tampering with election technology and it was not planning on launching its own recount.
Stein, who drew 1 percent of the vote nationally, is raising millions of dollars to fund the recounts.
Clinton's decision drew mixed reactions, even from her supporters, 1010 WINS' Samantha Liebman reported.
"I think it's just ironic that the Hillary people have been saying all along that the Russians are trying to create doubt among Americans and undermine our belief in the elections and the validity of the elections, and now they're calling for a recount. They're doing exactly what they said the Kremlin was going to do," one man in Long Island City said.
"I think transparency in goverment is a good thing. And I think it's been a pretty contentious election, so if this helps kind of heal that divide and make things seem really fair, that would be great," a woman from Washington, D.C. told Liebman.
Wisconsin officials announced yesterday that they are moving forward with the first presidential recount in state history.
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