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Federal judge DENIES Trump campaign’s bid to halt Philadelphia vote counting as state could seal presidency for Biden
A FEDERAL judge denied the Trump campaign's attempt to stop the vote count in Philadelphia but allowed both sides to observe the fraught tally.
US District Judge Paul S. Diamond suggested on Thursday that each party should be allowed 60 observers inside a hall at the Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia.
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The final ballots are being tallied in the Philly building as the hearing unfolded after Trump filed lawsuits in crucial election states.
Counting of mail-in ballots in began on November 3 and is expected to stretch to Friday, November 6.
Trump is locked in a nail-biting battle with former Vice President for PA's 20 electoral votes tonight.
The exasperated Diamond reportedly admonished the lawyers as the partisan bickering continued.
"Really, we can’t we be responsible adults here and reach an agreement?” the President George W. Bush appointee asked.
Both parties disagreed about who was following the rules, which prompted Diamond to point out that they are officers of the court and "the whole thing could be moot" soon.
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The Philadelphia City Commissioners released a statement on the judge's ruling today, confirming that the federal court had denied the Trump motion.
"The City Board of Elections agreed to keep the barrier for all observers where it is - at 6 feet for now, and to continue to admit observers in compliance with the law, but no more than 60 per side," it read.
"The President and his campaign representatives had falsely claimed throughout the day that their representatives were not allowed in the room."
The office then revealed that Trump's team were forced to admit that they actually had "several representatives in the room."
"In fact, they had at least 19 party representatives as observers in the Convention Center this afternoon, and more than 15 in the room while the case was being heard this evening," the stinging statement continued.
"These representatives were already allowed to view the canvas from a close distance, and nothing changed in that regard as a result of this hearing.
"We currently await a decision from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on this exact issue."
Their statement concluded that The Board of Elections "will oppose efforts to slow down the ongoing count in court and will continue to treat all parties equally."
"The Board has been completely transparent in its election process and the Trump campaign has had certified canvas observers in the Convention Center to view the counting operation all day long today as it has since the pre-canvas began on Tuesday at 7:00 a.m," it added.
As news of the ruling emerged, photos of a pro-Joe Biden rally emerged as they confronted Trump supporters outside of the vote count building in Philly this evening.
The President and his campaign representatives had falsely claimed throughout the day that their representatives were not allowed in the room.
The Philadelphia City Commissioners
As tensions reached boiling point in-state, Trump's lead in Pennsylvania (20 electoral votes) is currently 48,751 as of 9.30pm ET, according to .
There are 208,876 mail-in ballots and an unknown number of provisional ballots left to be counted there.
Biden and Trump need 270 electoral votes to become the 46th president of the United States.
According to projections, Biden now has 253 electoral votes while Trump has 213.
In , which has 16 electoral votes, Potus is at 2,497 points ahead – but Biden could soon lead there.
Both the Peach State and Louisiana in a general election when no candidate receives a majority of the vote.
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If neither Senate candidates received 50 percent +1 vote in Georgia on November 3, they will face off again in a runoff election set to be held January 5.
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Elsewhere, in, which was previously called for Biden, Trump is at 46,257 with more data expected tomorrow.
However, Biden has 11,438 over Trump in , a state that has six electoral votes.
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HOLDING A RECOUNT
Joe Biden has a slender lead over Donald Trump in the race to 270 electoral votes.
The Democrat has so far flipped three states that Trump won in 2016 – Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona.
But the President wants a recount of votes in Wisconsin and has filed lawsuits to stop vote counting in both Michigan and Pennsylvania.
The recount of votes can be complicated because the guidelines are set at state and sometimes local levels.
THE RULES
Wisconsin – a recount cannot be requested until election results are verified on December 1. State rules also dictate that a recount can only be requested by a candidate if the race is separated by a margin of one per cent or less.
Michigan – the state conducts an automatic recount if candidates are separated by a margin of 2,000 total votes or less. To get a recount by request, a campaign must submit a petition over alleged fraud or counting errors within 48 hours.
Pennsylvania – the state only provides an automatic recount if the race is separated by a margin of 0.5% or less, or if election officials find irregularities in the results
Donald Trump Jr says he has 'lost all faith in the process' and questions votes
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