The administration insists that no foreign government meddled in American elections. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
The Obama administration confirmed the 2016 results, telling the New York Times that the presidential contest "accurately reflects the will of the American people."
That certification follows bipartisan questions about the validity of the electoral system before and after Election Day. But according to the White House, both sides are misguided.
Jill Stein is seeking recounts in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — blue states that President-elect Trump carried by thin red margins. The presidential nominee of the Green Party, Stein points to "very troubling news" about the cybersecurity of those state's voting systems.
The Stein campaign is aggressively fundraising and has set a goal of $7 million to fund the recounts. But the administration insists that no foreign government meddled in American elections.
Rumors about Russian hacks reflect a greater strategy to undermine American institutions, the White House told the New York Times.
"The Kremlin probably expected that publicity surrounding the disclosures that followed the Russian government-directed compromises of emails from U.S. persons and institutions," the administration said in a statement, "including from U.S. political organizations, would raise questions about the integrity of the election process that could have undermined the legitimacy of the president-elect."
In other words, Moscow undoubtedly hoped that Clinton campaign emails released by WikiLeaks would make it seem like the digital strength of ballot boxes were jeopardized.
Shocked after an Election Day upset, Clinton supporters have called for a recount even though the nominee publicly conceded. Their calls were amplified after the Democrat pulled ahead in the popular vote by more than 2 million ballots.
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