Mike Lindell sues Minnesota officials over recount scope after refusing payment
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell filed a lawsuit challenging the Minnesota recount plan for the GOP gubernatorial primary after declining to fund the recount, alleging the process was limited to only two candidates.
Mike Lindell, the founder of MyPillow and a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump, has filed a lawsuit against the Minnesota secretary of state and the State Canvassing Board, contesting the parameters of a recount in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Lindell, who lost the August 11 primary to state House Speaker Lisa Demuth by roughly 45,000 votes, had announced he would pay $825,000 for a full hand recount and audit. The payment deadline passed without the funds being transferred.
In a telephone interview, Lindell said he refused to pay because the recount plan would examine only the ballots cast for him and Demuth rather than all ballots in the seven-candidate field. > "I paid this to have all of the votes counted, not just two people," he said, adding that he would pursue a court challenge to obtain a broader recount.
The secretary of state’s office responded that the recount plan was provided after the State Canvassing Board approved it on August 18 and that it complies with state law and prior recount procedures. Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat who chairs the board, has not commented further.
Lindell, who continues to assert that the 2020 election was compromised by electronic voting machines, claims his team identified "irregularities" in the election data. The lawsuit seeks to prevent a recount limited to the two leading candidates. Demuth is slated to face Democratic nominee Amy Klobuchar in the November general election.
Separately, Lindell faces additional legal actions, including defamation suits from voting-machine manufacturers, and has reportedly refused to satisfy court-ordered fees in a case involving Smartmatic USA Corp.