Former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein stepped up her efforts today to secure election recounts, travelling to Trump Tower in New York to announce that a federal lawsuit had been filed in Pennsylvania.
Stein has spearheaded efforts to force recounts in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, traditionally Democratic-leaning states where Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by thousands of votes.
While experts say the recount has no chance of dislodging Trump as president, Stein says her purpose is to iron out voting irregularities for the future.
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Stein has sought to finance the recounts, estimated to cost USD 9.5 million, by so far raising USD 7.2 million from more than 130,000 individual donors, according to her campaign website.
The Stein campaign said Saturday that an attempt to pursue the Pennsylvania recount in a state court had been dropped, citing difficulties raising a million-dollar bond, but a federal suit was instead filed today.
The 66-year-old environmental-health advocate, who was joined by about 20 supporters across the street from Trump Tower in Manhattan, denied that her efforts were a partisan attempt to bolster Democrats.
"I would do that regardless of who the winner is," said Stein.
Trump initially derided her attempts to seek a recount, then deployed his lawyers to block her request. Yesterday he tweeted that it was "just a Stein scam to raise money."
Stein hit back today, saying that donated funds were going into a specific account, which can be spent only on the recount.
A federal judge in Michigan ruled today that a recount could go ahead. Stein said it would begin at noon. The recount is already underway in Wisconsin.
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