Allen West Speaks Out About Election Results Lawsuit
MIAMI (CBS4) - Congressman Allen West is still asking for a full recount after losing the election to democrat Patrick Murphy last Tuesday.
For days, West has accused the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections of not following proper procedures on election night.
"I think the people in Congressional District 18, and people all across the United States of America, should be very concerned about what has happened in St. Lucie County," West said.
West's campaign calls the partial recount following Tuesday's election a "sham."
"We need to have a full recount of early voting, we need to see those voter logs, and when you had the people in St. Lucie County that closed polling places and locked doors, and counted votes behind doors, that's a violation of Florida statute," said West.
Last Tuesday, West lost to Murphy by more than 2,400 votes. A partial recount completed over the weekend showed the numbers were slightly better for West, but showed he still lost.
That's not enough to mandate a full recount, but when asked when this would, West Said:
"Until the truth, and this is not about me, it's the truth for the people in Congressional district 18 and that's what they're owed."
He says he's ready to step aside if Murphy is truly the winner.
"Look, if people don't want me in Congress, I got it, I understand that, but I fought for 22 years in uniform, to make sure our democratic system was the best in the world, and I don't want to see that being lost," West said.
West and his campaign have said they will file lawsuits and take this to court.
Meanwhile, both West and Murphy will head to Washington Tuesday. West is going for a lame-duck session of Congress and Murphy will be there for new member orientation.
