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MyPillow chief Mike Lindell, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, sued the FBI last week for seizing his cellphone at a Hardee’s drive-thru, alleging the agency violated his rights as he continued unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
Mypillow CEO Mike Lindell sued the FBI for violating his rights.
The Washington Post via Getty ImagesBasic information
Lindell claims the FBI and Justice Department violated his constitutional rights when FBI agents seized his phone at Hardy’s drive-thru last week when he returned from a duck hunting trip.
The lawsuit filed in court said Lindell feared “for his life and that of his friend” and was “prepared to drive a vehicle to escape” after federal agents surrounded his truck to execute a warrant to seize his phone, which a federal was approved by the judge. .
Lindell said he was not allowed to leave until he handed over his phone, which he said was an “unlawful detention”.
Agents also failed to explain Lindell’s rights to him and refused requests to call his attorney when they asked him about issues including the Dominion voting system, his air travel and Tina Peters, the Mesa County, Colorado, election official who was indicted earlier this year. was done Alleged rigging of voting machines, the filing claimed.
Lindell, who has not been charged with a crime or arrested, also said the government was tracking him in order for the FBI to be able to execute a search warrant at Hardy’s, because he did not publicize his plans for the visit.
The lawsuit demands the return of Lindell’s cellphone, as well as any data obtained from it, that the government should be prevented from disclosing or using in any investigation.
Original background
Lindell, like many of Trump’s closest allies, has often found herself in hot water for her continued claims that the 2020 election was stolen. He has been sued for repeated and unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud, notably for defamation by Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, and says he has been dropped by major retailers in retaliation for his claims. He is a vocal opponent of computerized voting systems—something he reiterated in the lawsuit and insists are protected by the First Amendment—which he believes enabled wholesale fraud in the 2020 election. Although he claims the election was stolen from Trump, there was widespread voter fraud and voting machine malfunctions, Lindell’s evidence doesn’t stand up to even basic scrutiny.
the tangent
It’s unclear if Lindell himself is under investigation, and he previously claimed agents were questioning him about his relationship with Peters. An image copied from a voting machine, Peters alleges, Frank Speech, a site he runs and Lindell previously said directly funded his legal defense, though later retracted the statement and said he was mistaken. The New York Times. The case against Peters, who has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to download data from voting machines, is one of many that have been linked to allegations of accessing voting machines to retrieve information that could apparently prove conspiracy theories that the election was stolen.
Read more
Trump claims MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell was ‘raided’ by the FBI after his cellphone was seized at a Hardee’s drive-thru (Forbes)
Voter Fraud Convict—Accused of Election Fraud—Loses GOP Nomination for Colorado Secretary of State (Forbes)
‘They’re trying to cancel me’: Mypillow CEO says retailers have dropped brand amid unfounded voter fraud claims (Forbes)