MSNBC’s resident Hillary Clinton super-fan, Andrea Mitchell, came across as particularly desperate Wednesday as she dedicated a segment of Andrea Mitchell Reports to dreaming of a possible recount in three key swing states. “Some Clinton supporters are trying to mount a campaign to ask for an audit in key states to see if a recount should be ordered,” she reported, “According to a group of election lawyers and computer scientists… there is quote, ‘Persuasive evidence that election results in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan may have been manipulated or hacked.’”
The report Mitchell was staking her hopes and dreams on was broken by New York magazine, late Tuesday evening. According to the report, “Clinton received 7 percent fewer votes in counties that relied on electronic-voting machines compared with counties that used optical scanners and paper ballots.” They claim this means Clinton could have lost out on 30,000 votes in Wisconsin, where she lost by 27,000.
The report seemed to have given the mourning Mitchell new hope for Clinton to pull out a win. She was so hopeful that she badgered former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell with repeated questions about it. “Look at that margin Pennsylvania. Almost 69,000 votes. Is there any way you could imagine her suddenly reversing that she would win Pennsylvania,” she began.
Rendell tried to let her down easy stating, “It would be very hard to do, Andrea.” He tried to explain that there probably wouldn’t be any earth shattering discoveries. “This statistical survey raises questions. But, boy, it's a real long shot,” he told Mitchell, “I wouldn't do an election challenge unless I found in district after district that there was a significant difference between what the actual vote of the machine was and what the reported vote was.”
Mitchell even seemed to suggest that assurances made by the Department of Homeland Security about how protected the election systems were were inaccurate. “These machines are all internally connected so that hacking would be nearly impossible, we were told at least by Homeland Security before the election,” she said dismissively.
She recalled how painful it was, on election night, when John Podesta came out and “Gave a stirring speech to rally the emotionally spent troops,” only to have the Clinton campaign strong armed by the Obama administration to concede. “Do you think there’s an appetite now after all has been said and done to re-open this,” she pressured Rendell.
The former governor again had to shoot her down. “I don't think there is. I mean, there are some people. I have been getting messages on the internet that we should do the audit, et cetera,” he explained, “But I don't think there is a real appetite for this.” He also seemed to grow tired of Mitchell’s nagging on the issue and brought that discussion to an end arguing:
And if there is nothing there, let’s put it to rest fast. Because, look, Mr. Trump deserves the right to build his team and to get the American people looking at what he's doing unimpeded by any of this. If there is something there, fine. But let's take a quick look and get this over with fast.