Mike Lindell Sues Minnesota Election Officials Over Recount 'Bait and Switch'
Former gubernatorial candidate and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is suing the Minnesota secretary of state and local election officials, saying they changed the parameters of a potential recount following his loss in the Republican primary.
Earlier this month, Lindell finished second to state House Speaker Lisa Demuth, falling short by around 45,000 votes, or 11 points, despite an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Due to the large margin between Lindell and Demuth, state law requires him to pay $825,000 for the recount and submit that payment by Monday, according to Alpha News.
Lindell said his wire transfer was ready to go when “the Minnesota Secretary of State, at the last minute, changed the scope of the recount in violation of Minnesota law.”
Instead of recounting all the votes, Lindell said the process would only examine votes linked to Lindell and Demuth, despite several other candidates being on the ballot.
Lindell’s team is arguing that setting such narrow terms violates Minnesota statutes. They also said this change amounts to a “bait-and-switch” tactic, putting him in an impossible position. Either he pays for a recount that’s narrowed in scope, or he fights it in court and misses the Monday deadline.
“Lindell has asked the state to waive the statutory payment deadline until a court can rule on the parameters of the recount proposed by the Secretary of State,” a news release said. “In order to address this issue, the campaign is now taking immediate legal action.”
The action, reportedly filed on Monday, asks the Minnesota Supreme Court to step in and force the secretary of state to “conduct a full recount of all ballots cast for the office of Governor.”
Following his defeat, Lindell said he would seek a recount due to troubling “anomalies” on election night. He claimed there were “unusual synchronized vote totals across all seven Republican candidates” and that counties were “reporting more votes than cast.”
The lawsuit also includes the State Canvassing Board chaired by Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon.
Lindell spoke with NBC News on Tuesday, telling the outlet that he refused payment after learning of the changes.
“I paid this to have all of the votes counted, not just two people,” he declared. “I need to have a real recount, and I will fight this in court and get that real recount. I don’t care if it costs triple. I didn’t hold back anything. They did a bait-and-switch on me, and it’s disgusting.”
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