While the Wall Street Journal editorial page and other conservative outlets accuse Minnesota Democrats of attempting to “steal” the U.S. Senate seat of incumbent Norm Coleman, Minnesota Independent notes that the state’s Republican governor Tim Pawlenty acknowledged on Fox News yesterday that there is no evidence of wrongdoing in the recounting of votes for Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken.

“We have to be clear on this: as of this moment, there is no actual evidence of wrongdoing or fraud in the process,” Pawlenty told Fox News host Chris Wallace. “If there is, it will get rooted out and identified aggressively.”

Pawlenty also admitted that widespread reports of joy-riding ballots — which the Governor helped to legitimize — were a myth. “There was a news report in Minnesota that the ballot- in-the-trunk story has now been retracted, that it wasn’t accurate,” he said.