Claim to have won the case and con followers into paying the $2.3 million in damages owed the real victor is how Mike Lindell, hawker of pillows and election conspiracy theories, responded to this week\u2019s verdict against him.<\/p>\n
Monday, a federal jury found Lindell and his media platform, FrankSpeech, guilty of defaming Eric Coomer<\/a>, the former security and product strategy director for Dominion Voting Systems.<\/p>\n Lindell accused Coomer of being a traitor, a criminal, and \u201cpart of the biggest crime this world has ever seen\u201d by helping to steal the 2020 election for Joe Biden with sabotaged voting machines. These lies harmed Coomer\u2019s reputation, career, safety, and health<\/a>. Because the jury did not award Coomer the full $62.7 million he requested, Lindell is spinning the loss as a victory.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time Lindell has paid for pedaling deception. Back in 2021 he challenged computer experts to prove that his 2020 election data were false. When the \u201cProve Mike Wrong\u201d contest did just that, Lindell refused to pay the winner until an arbitration panel forced him to pony up.<\/p>\n Undeterred, Lindell has continued to push preposterous and thoroughly debunked claims about the election. He\u2019s been using the defamation trial to hawk his wares on social media. In addition to pillows, buyers can get their very own replica of Lindell\u2019s always prominently displayed cross necklace for the low, low price of $249.98 (half off with promo code JURY).<\/p>\n Like an \u201980s televangelist, Lindell is a pro at exploiting religion to bilk the gullible. In addition to sales, he\u2019s raised more than $362,000 so far through crowdfunding to support his case, which he\u2019s appealing.<\/p>\n Since it\u2019s a civil not a criminal case, the Trump administration cannot issue a get-out-of-justice-free card like it did for the January 6 convicts or like it is trying to do for fellow election conspiracy theorist Tina Peters.<\/p>\n Lindell could, however, seek a job with the Trump administration. Lack of competence is no barrier. It might, like loyalty and lack of scruples, be a requirement. Dave Williams, the former Colorado GOP chairman who destroyed what remained of the state party\u2019s credibility, recently got a job with the Commerce Department. Perhaps Lindell can join him or at the very least land a multi-million dollar federal contract for pillows.<\/p>\n