FBI accosts Trump-allied businessman, seizes cell phone in continued Trump purge
The FBI conducted an offensive against MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell Tuesday in which they surrounded his car and seized his cell phone, the executive revealed on his livestream show.
Lindell has been a strong Trump supporter and confidante, even after major retailers dropped his product last year following Lindell’s remarks doubting the integrity of the 2020 presidential election.
Tuesday’s operation occurred as Lindell was sitting in a line of cars with a friend at fast-food restaurant Hardee’s. The FBI suddenly surrounded Lindell’s car and the CEO was approached by an agent who said, “Well, I got some bad news. . . . we’re taking your cell phone, we have a warrant for your cell phone.”
Lindell initially resisted handing over his phone. “I run five companies off that, I don’t have a computer, my hearing aids run off this,” Lindell said. “Everything runs off my phone.”
But Lindell’s lawyer advised him to surrender the phone.
While the FBI used the pretext of “January 6th” to justify its recent onslaught against Trump allies, the protest on Capitol Hill was reportedly unrelated to the seizure of Lindell’s phone.
According to the New York Times, the FBI questioned the MyPillow CEO about his ties with Colorado County Clerk Tina Peters, who is being indicted by the Department of Justice for allegedly trying to download data from a Dominion voting machine after the 2020 election.
The search was reportedly based on “an image copied from a voting machine” in Mesa County, which was posted on a social media website, Frank Speech, operated by Lindell.
The Times says “it is not clear if Mr. Lindell is a target of the investigation.”
While the agents provided Lindell with a letter asking him not to discuss the investigation, Lindell read aloud from both the warrant and the letter on his livestream video Tuesday night.
According to the warrant, the FBI is searching for “all records and information relating to damage to any Dominion computerized voting system.”
“Although the law does not require nondisclosure unless a court order is issued, we believe that the impact of any disclosure could be detrimental to the investigation,” read the letter signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Teitelbaum.
The DOJ also recently seized the phones of Trump advisers Mike Roman and Boris Epshteyn, while issuing subpoenas to 40 others under the pretext of “January 6th.”
Last month, FBI agents confiscated Trump ally Rep. Scott Perry’s (R-PA) cell phone while he was traveling with his family, as reported by America’s Frontline News.
“This morning, while traveling with my family, 3 FBI agents visited me and seized my cell phone,” Perry said in a statement. “They made no attempt to contact my lawyer, who would have made arrangements for them to have my phone if that was their wish. I’m outraged — though not surprised — that the FBI under the direction of Merrick Garland’s DOJ, would seize the phone of a sitting Member of Congress.”
“My phone contains info about my legislative and political activities, and personal/private discussions with my wife, family, constituents, and friends. None of this is the government’s business,” added the retired National Guard Brigadier General.
The seizure came a day after the Justice Department sent 30 FBI agents to raid President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in an unprecedented power grab that shocked the nation.
The FBI had allegedly colluded with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) in the seizure of Perry’s phone, prompting an investigation by House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH).
