“MADISON, Wis. (AP) — President Donald Trump will have to pay $7.9 million if he wants a statewide recount of unofficial results in Wisconsin showing him losing to Democrat Joe Biden by about 20,500 votes. That is four times higher than what the recount cost four years ago, a cost increase that elections officials said was driven by expenses related to conducting a recount during the coronavirus pandemic. Counties had until Tuesday to certify the election results. Assuming the last county canvass isn’t filed until Tuesday as expected, Trump would then have until 5 p.m. on Wednesday to request the recount. The recount could begin as soon as Thursday and be done no later than Dec. 1. The Wisconsin Elections Commission on Monday released the recount timeline and cost estimate, which was based on costs submitted by the 72 counties. “We still have not received any indication that there will or will not be a recount,” said Meagan Wolfe, the state’s chief election official. “But we want Wisconsin’s voters to know we are ready.” Trump has made unfounded claims of voting irregularities and fraud, even though Wisconsin elections officials have said there were no irregularities or widespread problems reported. Separately Monday, three voters who filed a federal lawsuit last week seeking to exclude some ballots in Milwaukee, Dane and Menominee counties withdraw their lawsuit. Attorney James Bopp said he could not say why because of attorney-client privilege. The voters had alleged widespread fraud in absentee balloting. Trump has been raising money off the expected recount and has indicated that he will move ahead with it, even though Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes would not be enough to change the outcome of the race. Trump’s Wisconsin campaign spokeswoman Anna Kelly did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the estimated cost. Recounts are not automatic under Wisconsin law. But any losing candidate who is within 1 point of the winner can request one. Trump lost by about six-tenths of a point, based on unofficial results. Candidates must pay for recounts if they are more than 0.25 points behind the winner. As of midday Monday, 68 of 72 counties had completed certification of the vote. Those results, which include provisional ballots that were counted after Election Day, show that Biden picked up 122 votes and Trump gained 107 statewide so far. The net gain was 15 for Biden. In 2016, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein paid $3.5 million in advance for the recount. It ended up costing $2 million, and she was refunded $1.5 million. Trump could also be refunded some of the cost if the estimate is too high. He could also decide to pursue a recount only in some counties, which would also reduce costs. Wolfe said the higher cost this year was due to factors caused by the pandemic that weren’t an issue then, such as needing larger spaces to permit public observation and social distancing, security for those spaces, the higher number of absentee ballots, a compressed timeframe over the Thanksgiving holiday, and renting high-speed ballot scanning equipment. Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell said the recount would cost $740,000 and take place at the Monona Terrace convention center, located just down the street from the city-county building. Renting that space, which allows for more distancing between workers, cost $88,500, McDonell said. Milwaukee County had the highest estimated cost at just over $2 million. Of that, $649,600 was for space rental to do that recount. The state elections commission, which is also allowed to charge for recount costs, estimated its expenses at $30,000. ___ Follow Scott Bauer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sbauerAP
Trump Administration Lowballs Unemployment Benefits In New COVID-19 Offer
144 Views0 Comments1 Likes
["The latest stimulus offer from the White House comes with one-time $600 payments for most Americans and a lump of coal for the unemployed. The new proposal offered by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin swapped the $3...
Trump: Millions Of Americans Getting COVID-19 Is ‘Terrific’ And A ‘Powerful Vaccine’
130 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["President Donald Trump on Tuesday spun the high number of Americans who have been infected with COVID-19 as “terrific,” claiming falsely that all those cases serve as a “powerful vaccine.” “I think that the vaccine ...
Trump Lawyer Jenna Ellis Tests Positive For COVID-19: Reports
104 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["Jenna Ellis, a lawyer for President Donald Trump, has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a White House Christmas party for senior staff last week. Ellis was a guest of Trump trade adviser Peter...
Twitter Billionaire Jack Dorsey Gives U.S. Mayors $15 Million To Fund Basic Income
90 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["The idea of giving Americans money, with no strings attached, has been given a boost by a $15 million grant from billionaire Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, which will fund basic income projects across America. The money ...
Coronavirus Live Updates: Trump Administration Declined Multiple Offers To Secure More Vaccines For 2021
77 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["The first doses of the coronavirus vaccine were given in the U.K. on Tuesday, as cases continue to surge in the United States. To date, more than 14.9 million Americans have contracted the coronavirus, according to ...
Stephen Colbert: This Is The Closest We’ll Get To A Melania Trump Concession
180 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["Stephen Colbert thinks first lady Melania Trump just came close to conceding the 2020 election on behalf of her voted-out husband, President Donald Trump. On Monday’s broadcast of “The Late Show,” host Colbert riffe...
Donald Trump Jr.’s Wail About ‘Tyranny’ Gets Flipped Back On Him
138 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["Donald Trump Jr. whined on Twitter about “tyranny” in the United States and many folks thought it was somewhat of a self-own. Donald Trump’s eldest son continued with his own efforts to overturn the 2020 election ― ...
Trump Asked Top Republican In Pennsylvania House To Intervene In Election: Report
72 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["President Donald Trump personally called the speaker of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives twice to ask him to help overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. election in the state, Trump’s latest effort to deny his...