Jill Stein says she'll announce in coming weeks who gets the leftover recount money, if there is any

Brett T. | 4:54 PM on December 13, 2016

Not even Green Party candidate Jill Stein was delusional enough to suggest that she had any chance of becoming president through a recount of the vote in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — states with, ahem, “proven hack-prone machines.”

Still, the longer her “election integrity” effort drags on, the more amazing it is that she managed to secure 1 percent of the popular vote … that’s cutting it too close.

Stein managed to surpass her original fundraising goal easily on the suggestion that “a tiny 50,000-vote shift” could tip the Electoral College to Hillary Clinton. From the beginning, the fine print noted that recounts weren’t guaranteed, and any leftover money would go to “election integrity efforts.” Stein repeated that pledge Tuesday, but it might be a while before she announces exactly who will receive any leftover cash.

Jill Stein says she'll donate funds left over from recount bids to election reform, voting rights groups https://t.co/jLP1yFUnGy pic.twitter.com/S9aB0FZoXp

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) December 13, 2016

ABC News reports that there might not be any leftover funds to distribute, even though her recount efforts accomplished little more than giving Donald Trump an extra 131 votes in Wisconsin. Stein said Tuesday she raised $7.33 million from nearly 161,300 donors; however, current recount expenses add up to $7.4 million. That total is expected to drop a bit once costs are finalized, but still, why so high?

Stein plans to name the recipients of any leftover funds “in the coming weeks,” and will soon launch an online survey asking donors to whom any leftover money should be given — not a bad way to add even more names and email addresses to the Green Party’s database with no guarantee of any payout.

And to think Trump and others were calling Stein’s recount effort a scam.

LOL. I want to see all the paperwork on that.

— iMoore (@imoore8904) December 13, 2016

Funds that @DrJillStein fraudulently obtained 4 a recount whose only purpose:Sow seeds of discontent. Irony…she makes me sick

— Cʜᴜᴄᴋ Fʟᴇᴛᴄʜᴇʀ (Ciucc to the nooch) (@RealGuitarDood) December 13, 2016