Earlier today, TPM reported that Al Franken's lawyer Marc Elias threatened to take his case all the way to the United States Senate if rejected absentee ballots are not included in the Minnesota recount:
"There are a number of ways this can happen, whether it is at the county level, before the state canvassing board, before the courts of Minnesota, or before the United States Senate, we do not know," said Elias -- but they will see to it that every vote is counted.
Later Wednesday afternoon, Reid opened the door for Senate intervention into the Minnesota election processing, saying: "Today's decision by the Minnesota Canvassing Board not to count certain absentee ballots is cause for great concern." Reid made the statement in a release from his official U.S. Senate office. Mitch McConnell fired back:
"The recount process in Minnesota is being handled by Minnesotans, not D.C. politicians. And while neither side will agree with every twist and turn or every decision, I would hope that Washington partisans would refrain from injecting themselves into what is, by design, a non-partisan process. Neutrality and distance from the Minnesota recount is particularly important for Senators on the Senate Rules Committee who would need to remain neutral if the election results are considered by the committee."