My Pillow founder Mike Lindell failed to meet his self-imposed Thanksgiving deadline to formally file a 2020 election challenge lawsuit with the Supreme Court.
Lindell, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, has been a key promoter of the baseless conspiracy theory that 2020 election was "rigged" or "stolen" in favor of President Joe Biden. Although Trump and Lindell continue to tout the allegation, the so-called "evidence" they have put forward has been consistently discredited and debunked.
The pro-Trump businessman for weeks promised that he would finally file a lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results directly with the Supreme Court by Thanksgiving. He claimed that he would have the support of multiple states' attorneys general—but their support did not materialize and the much-touted Supreme Court lawsuit was not filed.
"We will have this before the Supreme Court before Thanksgiving," Lindell promised in September during an episode of former Trump administration official Steve Bannon's War Room podcast. "That's my promise to the people of this country."
On Tuesday, Lindell did publicly release a copy of his complaint which he hopes to file with the Supreme Court. "We are in unchartered [sic] territory as a Nation. The November 2020 election was stolen," the complaint alleges before going on to lay out a series of debunked and discredited conspiracy theories and dubious claims. It takes particular aim at key battleground states—including Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania.
Lindell claimed this week that the Republican National Committee (RNC) has been working to block his lawsuit from moving forward. During a Monday live stream on his website Frank Speech, the My Pillow founder took aim at RNC chair Ronna McDaniel and the GOP.
"We believe that they [the RNC] have reached out to multiple [attorneys general] and put pressure on them, not to sign the Supreme Court complaint," Lindell said.
"How dare the RNC try and stop this case from getting to the Supreme Court. Shame on you, RNC! You are worse than Fox now," he added.
Newsweek reached out to the RNC for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Lindell, who continues to advertise My Pillow products on Fox News, has repeatedly attacked the conservative network for declining to promote his baseless claims. The Trump ally even organized a small protest outside of Fox New headquarters in Manhattan, New York this week, after claiming that the network was "controlled opposition" during his live stream last Friday.
Speaking to Bannon's podcast again on Wednesday, Lindell described Fox News as the "biggest election deflection ever." He said it's "disgusting what Fox has done," lamenting that the network doesn't "talk about the election of 2020." The My Pillow founder suggested that his Supreme Court lawsuit could still move forward, urging listeners to contact their states' attorneys general.
Regardless of Lindell's claims, more than 60 election challenge lawsuits have already failed in state and federal courts. Even judges appointed by Trump and other Republicans have rejected the allegations. Meanwhile, recounts and audits in states across the country have consistently reaffirmed the 2020 election results.
Former Attorney General William Barr, who was widely viewed as one of Trump's most loyal Cabinet members, said in December that there was "no evidence" of voter fraud that would change the election's outcome. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at the Department of Homeland Security asserted last year that the 2020 election was the "most secure in American history." That federal agency was led by a Trump appointee at the time.
