You may recognize him as the goofy, hyper pillow pitchman on TV who is frequently appearing on Fox News hawking his MyPillow product, along with Giza Dream sheets, slippers, pillows, and more. You might have noticed him appearing on a sign at Bed Bath & Beyond or Walmart before they decided to predictably–in the age of the conscious corporations, drop him from their lineups.
Disclosure: I own a MyPillow I bought one years before I even had an inkling of Lindell's political views. I was simply trying to find a better way to sleep. Guess what? It came through: now I'm not able to rest without it.
The situation took a dark turn Tuesday when Nick Arama reported: Lindell was tracked down by FBI agents, escorted to the Hardee's, served with a subpoena and then ordered to surrender his cellphone. What's going on? Is Pillow Guy a secretly violent white nationalist or is he a Russian spy spreading falsehoods or the world's largest arms trader, or what?
Lindell's crime is particularly grave, according to CNN:
The Justice Department is seeking information about at least seven persons connected to a breach of a Colorado County's system for voting in attempts to sabotage the results of the 2020 election as per subpoenas obtained by CNN that provide fresh details about the extent and scope of the investigation.
This is certainly an incident worthy of the full power of the FBI and is to be entirely legitimate that agents with guns were required to ambush Lindell in a fast-food establishment. Not.
It's difficult to offer Merrick Garland's Department of Justice even the most semblance of confidence in the present day in which they've issued subpoenas to nearly all of the world's population and even raided the former president's Mar-aLago home in a seemingly endless fishing trip. Pillow Guy's tale is equally uncertain; there's numerous suspicions and dark insinuations made by the FBI, however, there is no evidence that will make you think, “oh man! Lindell definitely did not do the right thing in that case!” Without boring the hell out of you, I'll attempt to summarize it all in one sentence:
Lindell has been a vocal critic of the presidential election, and has repeatedly stated that he believes that the election was not legitimate. This is arguably the most serious crime he has committed. But did he breach voting data machines?
The subpoena sent by MyPillow Chief Executive Mike Lindell earlier this week names those who were deemed “subjects” in the investigation as well as those who were who were involved in the efforts to take the data of voting machines in various states during the time that ex-President Donald Trump and his allies attempted to reverse his election loss. Lindell has been cleared of any wrongdoing or crimes.
In all likelihood, with the present day DOJ subpoena, it demands “all records and information” from his mobile that could be relevant to the other seven people identified. “All Records and Information” is appearing often lately, isn't it?
In simple terms, the investigation is looking into Lindell's attempt to analyze the data of voting machines across different areas. Did he violate the law in order to gain the information? The jury is still out; however, it certainly has the scent of FBI overkill yet again. For instance, the majority of the CNN article goes on to discuss Lindell's efforts to spread his belief that the vote was rigged. The newsflash is it's not an act of treason.
Consider Friday's vicious hit piece written by Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank. The writer spends only one sentence in describing the alleged incident: “The feds seized the phone in a probe into Trump allies' breach of voting machines in Colorado, which state authorities are also investigating.” The rest of the piece is a snarky and mean-spirited criticism of the man's character as well as a variety of “humorous” pillow pun thrown in. Here's an example of the insanity:
“There is something incredibly appealing about an ex-professional gambler, recovering addict to crack cocaine, extravagantly religious (Lindell typically wears his cross on his collar like the amulet) and a pillow kingpin coordinating the demise of democratic rule.”
Milbank does not like his style. So Lindell should go to prison?
Maybe Lindell violated the voting system. If this is the case, he'll have to be held accountable. However, it's clear that the Department of Justice, by its own actions, has lost all credibility and it's difficult at this point to speculate on a darker motive behind each and every one of its reckless actions.
Could Lindell's case be another in which the Trump associate isn't incriminated or anything, and the DOJ disappears after destroying someone else's life?
