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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 13 december 2016

As recount efforts end, Trump Top GOP leaders back probe of Russia hacking

wins Wisconsin, Pennsylvania
ALAN FRAM about Moscow. Meanwhile, Trump con-
Associated Press Shortly afterward, House tinued his cavalcade of
MARC LEVY WASHINGTON (AP) — Con- Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., meetings in his Trump Tow-
SCOTT BAUER gress’ top Republicans on released a statement back- er offices in New York on
Associated Press Monday endorsed investi- ing an investigation the Monday with potential ap-
Presidential election recount efforts came to an end gations into the CIA’s belief House Intelligence Com- pointees for his new admin-
Monday in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, with both that Russia meddled in last mittee has already started istration and other leading
states certifying Republican Donald Trump as the win- month’s election to help on cyber threats posed by GOP, congressional and
ner in contests that helped put him over the top in the Donald Trump win, suggest- foreign countries and ex- corporate figures. Among
Electoral College stakes. ing potential battles ahead tremist groups. He called them was Carly Fiorina,
Trump’s victory in Wisconsin was reaffirmed following with the incoming com- any Russian intervention who unsuccessfully vied
a statewide vote recount that showed him defeating mander in chief over Mos- “especially problematic with Trump this year for their
Democrat Hillary Clinton by more than 22,000 votes. cow and U.S. intelligence. because under President party’s nomination.
Meanwhile, a federal judge issued a stinging rejection
of a Green Party-backed request to recount paper
ballots in Pennsylvania’s presidential election and scan
some counties’ election systems for signs of hacking.
Green Party candidate Jill Stein successfully requested
and paid for the Wisconsin recount while her attempts
for similar statewide recounts in Pennsylvania and
Michigan were blocked by the courts.
Stein got only about 1 percent of the vote in each of
the three states that Trump narrowly won over Clinton.
Stein argued, without evidence, that voting machines
in all three states were susceptible to hacking. All three
states were crucial to Trump’s victory, having last vot-
ed for a Republican for president in the 1980s.
The numbers barely budged in Wisconsin after nearly
3 million votes were recounted. Trump, a billionaire
New York real estate mogul, picked up 162 votes and
still won by more than 22,000 votes. The final results
changed just 0.06 percent.
In Pennsylvania, state officials certified the results of
the election in the hours following the decision by U.S.
District Judge Paul S. Diamond.
Trump beat Clinton in the state by about 44,000 votes
out of 6 million cast, or less than 1 percent, accord-
ing to the final tally after weeks of counting provisional
and overseas ballots. Green Party voters had peti-
tioned some counties to do partial recounts, affecting Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, right, enters Trump Tower with Trump aide Madeleine Westerhout,
before meeting with President-elect Donald Trump, Monday, Dec. 12, 2016, in New York.
few votes, county officials said. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Diamond said there were at least six grounds that re-
quired him to reject the Green Party’s lawsuit, which “The Russians are not our Putin, Russia has been an Fiorina, the former Hewlett-
had been opposed by Trump, the Pennsylvania Re- friends,” declared Sen- aggressor that consistently Packard CEO, was there
publican Party and the Pennsylvania attorney gen- ate Majority Leader Mitch undermines American in- to discuss national security
eral’s office. McConnell as GOP lead- terests.” issues and is seen by some
Suspicion of a hacked Pennsylvania election “borders ers steered toward a path Underscoring the possible Trump advisers as a can-
on the irrational” while granting the Green Party’s re- contrasting starkly with the collisions ahead between didate to be director of
count bid could “ensure that no Pennsylvania vote president-elect’s belittling Trump and the men lead- national intelligence, over-
counts” given Tuesday’s federal deadline to certify dismissal of the spy agen- ing his party in Congress, seeing the government’s
the vote for the Electoral College, wrote Diamond, an cy’s assessment and his McConnell and Ryan struck 17 intelligence agencies.
appointee of Republican former President George W. past praise for Russian Presi- tones markedly more con- She chaired an external
Bush. dent Vladimir Putin. frontational toward Russia CIA advisory board under
“Most importantly, there is no credible evidence that The Senate’s intelligence than he has. President George W. Bush
any ‘hack’ occurred, and compelling evidence that panel, led by Richard Burr, Trump on Sunday called but has not worked for the
Pennsylvania’s voting system was not in any way com- R-N.C., will conduct a bi- the CIA’s contention “ri- federal government.
promised,” Diamond wrote. partisan inquiry, accord- diculous” and blamed the Fiorina said her conversa-
He said the lawsuit suffered from a lack of standing, ing to McConnell, who disclosures concerning its tion with Trump included
potentially the lack of federal jurisdiction and an “un- also expressed support for assessment on Democrats “hacking, whether it’s Chi-
explained, highly prejudicial” wait before filing last a related probe by the who he said were em- nese hacking or purported
week’s lawsuit, four weeks after the Nov. 8 election. Armed Services Commit- barrassed over losing last Russian hacking.”
The decision was the Green Party’s latest roadblock in tee, chaired by Sen. John month’s election. Others meeting with Trump
Pennsylvania after hitting numerous walls in county and McCain, R-Ariz. Though The GOP leaders expressed included moderate Demo-
state courts. Green Party-backed lawyers argue it was declining to say whether their views after a weekend cratic Sen. Joe Manchin of
possible that computer hackers changed the election he believes Russia tried tilt- in which Trump also said he West Virginia, No. 3 House
outcome and that Pennsylvania’s heavy use of pa- ing the election toward would not need daily intel- GOP leader Steve Scalise
perless machines makes it a prime target. Stein also Trump, McConnell said, “I ligence briefings, a staple of Louisiana and former
contended Pennsylvania has erected unconstitution- hope that those who are of presidents’ days for de- Texas Gov. Rick Perry, an-
al barriers to voters seeking a recount. going to be in positions of cades and a flouting of a other GOP presidential
A lawyer for the Green Party members said Monday responsibility in the new ad- convention common for contender whom Trump
they were disappointed and unable to immediately ministration share my view” presidential transitions. defeated. q
say whether they would appeal.q