Mike Lindell Pushes for Recount in Minnesota Governor Primary

Mike Lindell, a strong supporter of former President Trump and the founder of MyPillow, has announced his intention to fund a full recount of the GOP primary for governor in Minnesota. This follows his loss in the race by 11 percentage points. Lindell disclosed in a conversation with NBC News that he has employed a team to investigate the primary, which state House Speaker Lisa Demuth won on August 11. Seeking a cost estimate for the recount, Lindell reached out to the Minnesota secretary of state’s office.

The secretary of state’s general counsel, Lauren Bethke, informed Lindell via a letter on Tuesday that the hand recount and audit would cost approximately $825,000. Lindell estimates the total expense could exceed $1 million due to extra measures like hiring his investigation team. Despite this, he is ready to cover the costs.

As of Wednesday, the secretary of state’s office had not received an official recount request. Bethke’s letter indicated that Lindell needs to submit a recount request along with “a bond, cash, or surety” for the estimated cost by Monday. Lindell expressed his intent to personally deliver the request on Monday. He is also coordinating with the office to verify where each county will conduct its recount to send observers.

Lindell released a statement alleging his team discovered numerous “irregularities” in the election data, attributing them to electronic voting machines. He emphasized, “Even if this recount and audit do not overturn my election for governor of Minnesota, I believe this is the gateway to getting rid of these electronic voting machines.”

Having received Trump’s endorsement in the primary, Lindell is facing several lawsuits from voting machine companies due to his false assertions about the 2020 election. In January, a federal judge ordered him to pay $56,369 to Smartmatic USA Corp., a voting machine firm, for defamation. His non-compliance led to a daily fine of $500, now exceeding the original sanction amount.

Lindell’s legal team, still resisting payment, has appealed to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan in hopes of reconsidering the defamation ruling. This request hinges on “newly available evidence” from a set of heavily redacted documents on election security that Trump disclosed on July 16. However, these documents do not substantiate claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Lindell remains firm in his belief that the documents validate his allegations of election fraud. He vows to continue challenging Smartmatic, irrespective of the judge’s decision on reconsideration. “I can tell you that, regardless, it doesn’t matter what goes on with whether he accepts that or not,” Lindell stated.