You are witnessing the first "Stochastic Smearjob"

[senz]

22. Hm. There was a man who whispered something in her ear before

she called off the vote, gaveled the election over, and ran off. Some people were mentioning him.

I wonder if he told her to do that knowing how outrageous it would be for the Bernie supporters who had requested a recount? Perhaps he wanted them to scream in outrage and hoped they'd resort to violence, which they didn't, but he and his people were ready to call it a riot for the purpose of accomplishing exactly what you suggest -- a change in the debate from meaningful issues to supposed infractions on the part of Bernie supporters.

That would also explain Bernie's not having elevated the real violence that his campaign experienced -- the gun shots to his campaign office and break-in and ransacking of his staff housing -- to the media. Because he is more interested in issues than in blaming the other side's bad behavior.

Does this sound plausible to you?