Now this is an interesting development. I’m sure you remember Mike Lindell’s announcement a few weeks back that he was going to run against Tim Walz for Governor of Minnesota. That’s no small ambition, running for governor of any state, let alone a wealthy, populous state like Minnesota. But Lindell was all set to undertake that endeavor and confidently so. Today, however, he went in front of a court and said he could not pay sanctions of $50,000 because, “I don’t have $5,000. Or five cents.” (Psst. He later admitted he “lived on a thousand dollars a week” which is a modest middle class salary. You can pay for housing and eat on that, but not run for governor.) But I’m going to wait for Mike to explain it all. Maybe I’ll run for governor of Nevada since money is apparently no longer an issue in politics anymore. When did that happen, anybody know?
WASHINGTON — MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell told a federal judge Wednesday he has no money to pay thousands of dollars in sanctions imposed in one of the long-running lawsuits against him over his false election fraud claims.
During a court hearing, Lindell said he and his company face a combined $70 million in debt and ongoing garnishment by the IRS.
“Nobody will borrow me any more. Not one dime,” Lindell said. “I’m in ruins.”
Last month, the voting systems company Smartmatic asked a federal judge in D.C. to hold Lindell in civil contempt over his failure to pay more than $50,000 in sanctions for filing a frivolous counterclaim in a defamation suit brought by a separate company, Dominion Voting Systems.
Lindell is facing lawsuits in both D.C. and Minnesota for allegedly using his connection to President Donald Trump and his continued false claims about fraud in the 2020 election to boost MyPillow’s sales. In its lawsuit filed in 2021, Dominion said Lindell continued to “sell the lie… because the lie sells pillows.”
Lindell has said in court filings that at one point his company was generating as much as $300 million in annual revenue. On Wednesday, he claimed he is now living off $1,000 a week because of what he described as a campaign of “lawfare” against him.
“I don’t have $5,000 or 5 cents,” Lindell said.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee who is presiding over Dominion’s defamation case against Lindell, said he would need to see financial documents from MyPillow and Lidnell before ruling on Smartmatic’s motion. He gave Lindell until the end of the week to provide those to him in a sealed filing.
Wednesday’s hearing was just the latest in a string of legal troubles for Lindell. Last month, a federal judge in Minnesota found him in contempt of court for failing to turn over discovery in Smartmatic’s ongoing defamation case against him. The company says it has suffered billions of dollars in damages from Lindell’s false claims that it was involved in a conspiracy to steal the 2020 election. As of Wednesday, no trial date had yet been set in that case.
Lindell was previously ordered to pay a software engineer $5 million after he responded to a challenge to prove the MyPillow CEO’s claims about manipulated voting machines were false. Lindell appealed that decision, and the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in the case in October. The appellate court has not yet ruled in the case.
Hoe kay. Mike’s broke. We get it. Mike’s living on a modest middle class salary, like what a school teacher or what a lot of journalists make, for that matter. $52,000 is not big bucks. But HOW oh how is Mike going to run for governor with no money and with massive debt?
I can only presume that he expects the Republican party in Minnesota to gift him tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars. Or, maybe Elon Musk will approve of Mike being governor and he’ll give him mega bucks. And the pure comedy of this is that Tim Walz is contemplating a third run as governor and Walz is massively popular. He’s not only lauded in Minnesota, the entire Democratic party loves the man, nationwide. If there is a single Democratic governor who could be said to write his own ticket in 2026 — against a complete crackpot and former crackhead — it is Tim Walz.
So what was Lindell *thinking* when he announced his run for governor? Again, my best guess is that he’s counting on MAGA millions to just drop from the sky. He’s counting on a Trump endorsement and the MAGA hordes to open their wallets. Good luck with that, Mike. What we have to tell you is this: Everything Trump Touches Dies. Look at your own financial empire, your own bank accounts, and tell us that that hasn’t been the case.
But hey, Mike, if you know how somebody with a small, middle class income can run for governor, tell me. I’ll run for Governor of Nevada. Cat and Dog Worship will be the official religion of my realm. I will be carried from one end of the Strip to the other in a litter, like Cleopatra, unless I can find a flying saucer at Area 51. Then I’ll get around in that. And I want the bomb. There must be some old warhead kicking around in the desert left over from the tests in the early 50’s and I intend for Nevada to be a nuclear power under my reign. But first I need to wait for Mike to tell me how to do this with no money. I wait with bated breath.
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Friends, I can think of no better reason to stay in business than to laugh our asses off at Mike Lindell as he attempts to both simultaneously be a pauper and run for governor of Minnesota. Contribute away. All money goes to us, not a dime to Lindell’s latest fantasy. (And we will do what we can to raise money for Tim Walz when the time comes. That goes without saying.) Thanks. Ursula
“Maybe I’ll run for governor of Nevada since money is apparently no longer an issue in politics anymore. When did that happen, anybody know?”
On January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission overruling an earlier decision, Austin v. Michigan State Chamber of Commerce (Austin), that allowed prohibitions on independent expenditures by corporations.
Another grifting liar…ho hum.