House reportedly sending envoys to observe recount in NY's 22nd Congressional District
GOP candidate Claudia Tenney says because the race is ‘so close,’ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent lawyers who are ‘supposed to be in an observing role,’ but are getting ‘very aggressive.’
New York Republican candidate Claudia Tenney told “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Sunday that because the race in the state's 22nd Congressional District is “so close,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent lawyers who are “supposed to be in an observing role” in the election’s recount, but are getting “very aggressive.”
Tenney made the comments referencing a report that the House of Representatives is sending envoys to observe recounts in the close and still uncalled race in New York’s 22nd Congressional District.
The contest between incumbent Democratic Rep. Anthony Brindisi and Tenney is the state’s only race that has not yet been certified by the state Board of Elections, the New York Post reported, adding that the House has notified several county board of elections that they’ll be sending envoys to observe the recounts, which is expected to begin on Monday.
The contest has been tied up in court since Election Day, with unofficial results showing Tenney with a lead of just 12 votes in the race.
“If the judge follows the legal process I think we should prevail,” Tenney said on Sunday. “But what’s happening now, it’s so close that Nancy Pelosi, the current House speaker, has sent lawyers who are supposed to be from the House administration and they're supposed to be in an observing role, not anything more than that, but it looks like they're getting very aggressive.”
“They had asked the court to have cameras and electronic equipment so that they could really work on these ballots in a way that we don't think it is fair and that we think could prejudice the opening of these new ballots,” she continued.
She noted that “what we're looking at are what are so-called affidavit ballots,” explaining that “those are ballots that have been unopened for people who showed up at the board or at the polls to vote, but for some reason were not on the voter rolls.”
Tenney stressed that “we're looking at potential problems because the boards were so overwhelmed.”
“Just like everything that’s terrible going on in New York, I think this all goes back to Governor Cuomo's executive order, which put this undue burden on the Boards of Elections,” she added.
“They were avalanched with 10 times the number of absentee ballots. They had an online portal, no verification. We have dozens of dozens of reports from people who say they received ballots they did not ask for who ultimately went in and voted in person.”
“The boards are overwhelmed. They're understaffed. They don't have the resources promised by Cuomo and that’s why you're seeing these crazy irregularities and real trouble with the boards here in New York,” Tenney went on to say.
Last month, Tenney also said Gov. Cuomo is at least partially to blame for the chaos surrounding the uncalled U.S. House election in New York's 22nd Congressional District.
“Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order in August altering the election rules and altering how we are going to process elections,” she said at the time.
"We allowed no-excuse absentee ballots, anyone could get an absentee ballot; [they] can apply for it online, didn't have to verify, you just have to have your name, date of birth, and address and your absentee ballot is sent."
12 MORE UNCOUNTED BALLOTS FOUND IN ULTRA-TIGHT HOUSE RACE IN NEW YORK
A spokesperson for Gov. Cuomo did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
On Sunday, Tenney told “Fox & Friends Weekend” that “now with Nancy descending she could do exactly what she’s trying to do to [Republican] Mariannette Miller-Meeks who was declared the winner in the Iowa 2nd race.”
“Mariannette actually was declared by a 5-0 decision, a bipartisan decision by the Iowa Boards of Election and she was certified as the winner, but now the House administration is looking to overturn this,” Tenney continued.
The eye doctor and Army veteran who was certified the winner of Iowa's 2nd Congressional District after four times running for the job faces one more hurdle to secure the seat: The Democratic-led Congress.
Her Democratic opponent Rita Hart will file an election contest to the U.S. House asking for Congress to ultimately seat her instead.
“A scary thing could happen, it could look like 1985 all over again where the House Democrats actually went in and seated a Democrat over the winner, the certified winner who was a Republican,” Tenney said on Sunday.
“So we're hoping that doesn't happen this time and that we'll prevail with all the legal votes [that] are counted.”
Pelosi’s spokesman did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
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Brindisi also did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment regarding his thoughts on the envoys and recounts.
Fox News’ Thomas Barrabi, Marisa Schultz and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
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