The good news?
Trump-obsessed far-right conspiracy theorist and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell finally moved on from his nonsensical claims about 2020 election fraud.
The bad news?
It's because he's now making similarly absurd claims about election fraud in the 2022 midterms.
Just when we thought we were finally free...
Lindell claims to have proof every MAGA candidate in Arizona's midterm election actually won, including Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and Senate candidate Blake Masters who both lost handily to their Democratic opponents.
Lindell first claimed in an incoherent rant on his own podcast and YouTube show The Lindell Report that Lake and Masters, along with defeated MAGA Arizona Republican Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem only lost due to "computer manipulation."
You can see his claims here:
\u201cMike Lindell was losing what\u2019s left of his mind as the Kari Lake results came in: \u201cHow did these all get taken? Why wasn\u2019t there a red wave? You can only have one answer - computer manipulation.\u201d\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1668516780
Yelling loudly and seemingly so agitated he could barely compose sentences, Lindell ranted wins by Arizona Democratic Governor, Senate and Secretary of State candidates Katie Hobbs, Mark Kelly and Adrian Fontes respectively, were "impossible."
He explained it—or attempted to, anyway—thusly:
"Never happened in history before! That's called 'deviations from norm.' This is computers!"
"Is everyone gonna sit there and go, 'Oh Mike Lindell, Mike Lindell, you know, um, you're done. You lose! Sorry! I win. Here wait, who do we want to win here?'"
He then mimed entering figures into a computer.
Compelling as that may have been, it of course proved absolutely nothing.
But later, during a report from former Republican President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence for far-right propaganda network Real America's Voice, Lindell seemed to have changed his story.
In that interview, he claimed to have eyewitness and video proof he had "caught" Democrats stealing the Arizona elections, rather than evidence of computer manipulation.
\u201cLindell is at Mar-a-Lago, and claims he has the proof that Kari Lake and Blake Masters won: \u201cThey\u2019re absolutely caught. They\u2019re gonna be sworn affidavits. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a judge in this country that can\u2019t say we need a new election in AZ. You can\u2019t certify this election!\u201d\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1668545220
Lindell told white nationalist Steve Bannon:
"They're absolutely caught..."
"There's tens and tens of thousands of citizens that are looking for a place to reach out. They're gonna do sworn affidavits of what happened."
"I don’t think there’s a judge in this country that can’t say we need a new election down there in Arizona."
Lindell then asserted all the elections in Arizona were "stoled" before claiming to have proof from his own voter fraud organization the Edison Report as well as citizens' claims of having witnessed fraud on video--none of which, of course, is proof of anything.
"It doesn't matter what anyone says. We were watching it from the Edison report, we were watching it cyberly [sic], and we were watching just blatantly the citizens were all watching."
Exactly as he did in 2020, Lindell did not actually produce any of his supposed proof, not that his followers are likely to notice.
In comments to reporters at Mar-a-Lago, Lindell returned to his old 2020 chestnuts about fraudulent voting machines, telling the press he's glad there was no "red wave" because if there had been, nobody would believe him.
\u201cAs if anyone needed any further proof that Trump\u2019s entire 2024 race will be focused on ludicrous 2020 conspiracies\u2026 \n\nAs a reminder, Lindell has claimed he had definitive evidence of a conspiracy like 30 times and somehow never ends up releasing it.\u201d— AG (@AG) 1668553449
Lindell has been sued for defamation for more than $1 billion by voting machine and software maker Dominion Voting Systems for making similar claims about 2020.
On Twitter, Lindell's absurd claims drew no shortage of mockery and anger.
\u201cImagine the boy who cried wolf. Now imagine the boy who cried wolf after ingesting 10 prints of blotter acid. This is deranged MeinPillow MAGA-fascist Mike Lindell.\n\nhttps://t.co/yCqHVrgEL1\u201d— Bill Madden (he/him/\u00e9l) \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Bill Madden (he/him/\u00e9l) \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1668553136
\u201c@RonFilipkowski @immacrecep What a loser.\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1668516780
\u201cMikey is MELTING DOWN!!\nI love it!! \ud83d\ude02\ud83e\udd23\ud83d\ude02\ud83e\udd23\ud83d\ude02\u201d— just Lori (@just Lori) 1668518519
\u201c@RonFilipkowski This dude has had proof of so many things in the past two years\u2026 Has anything been proven ??\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1668545220
\u201cMike Lindell says he was watching the elections \u201cCyberly\u201d and by two other angles.#ProudBlue22 #DemVoice1\u201d— The Masked Blue Texan \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f (@The Masked Blue Texan \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f) 1668573062
\u201c@RonFilipkowski Same guy who said he had proof that would put 300 million people in jail. https://t.co/HuUVFc5eA5\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1668545220
\u201cLOL\u2026my friend who moved here from Germany last year: \u201cHow is it possible that anyone listens to this person?\u201d\nAs I laugh, she says \u201cNo really why?\u201d\nGreat question. But Trump, Herschel Walker, Rick Scott & the GOP do exactly that.\nSupport Raphael Warnock.\nhttps://t.co/vMpDMVmDIz\u201d— BigBlueWaveUSA \u2014 Support Raphael Warnock (@BigBlueWaveUSA \u2014 Support Raphael Warnock) 1668557258
\u201cMike Lindell has lost his mind!\ud83d\ude2b\ud83e\udd23\ud83d\ude02\ud83e\udd23\ud83d\ude02\ud83e\udd23\ud83d\ude02\ud83e\udd23\n\n\u201d— \ud83c\udf41Nikol Rae\ud83c\udfb6\u2728\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddfd\ud83c\udf42\ud83c\udf41\ud83c\udf42 (@\ud83c\udf41Nikol Rae\ud83c\udfb6\u2728\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddfd\ud83c\udf42\ud83c\udf41\ud83c\udf42) 1668553476
\u201c@RonFilipkowski What happened to Mike\u2019s cyber experts that were monitoring things on Election Day?\n\nThey\u2019re noticeably quiet. Almost like they didn\u2019t find any abnormalities.\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1668516780
\u201c@RonFilipkowski Or Mike, and bear with me here,\n\nThe Republican platform of hate, division and removal of freedoms and the threat of taking away social security and Medicare MIGHT HAVE BEEN TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE TO MANY PEOPLE.\n\nHope this helps.\u201d— Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1668516780
Lindell's defamation case with Dominion Voting Systems proceeded to the Supreme Court in October. We will of course be keeping an eye on that case, you know, cyberly.
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