President-elect Donald Trump slammed the Wisconsin vote recount efforts of the Green Party's Jill Stein in a statement Saturday afternoon, labeling it a "scam" devised to raise money for her party.
"This recount is just a way for Jill Stein, who received less than one percent of the vote overall and wasn’t even on the ballot in many states, to fill her coffers with money, most of which she will never even spend on this ridiculous recount," Trump said in a statement.
"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," the president-elect added.
In his statement, Trump also addressed news that Hillary Clinton's campaign would be joining Stein in challenging the Wisconsin results.
"The people have spoken and the election is over, and as Hillary Clinton herself said on election night, in addition to her conceding by congratulating me, 'We must accept this result and then look to the future,'" Trump said.
The billionaire businessman also noted that a recount is extremely far fetched, given that he won more than 300 electoral votes — which equates to a decisive victory.
Stein on Friday made the deadline to file for an official vote recount in Wisconsin. She plans to also file for recounts in both Michigan and Pennsylvania. The three swing states helped pave Trump's path to the White House on Election Day.
To date, Stein has raised nearly $6 million to fund the recounts. Her campaign's fundraising goal is $7 million.
Chris Enloe
Staff Writer
