MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell advisor tied to GOP super PACs, pushed false Covid claims
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Mike Lindell, My Pillow Inc.’s chief executive officer, talks to journalists as he arrives at Washington, D.C., U.S.A, Thursday, June 24, 2021.
Getty Images| Bloomberg | Getty Images
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is represented by a member of his legal team. This lawyer has been pushing false conspiracies regarding Vice President Kamala Harris or Covid-19.
According to new Minnesota federal court filings, Lindell hired William Olson to be his legal adviser.
According to Federal Election Commission records, Olson’s law firm represented GOP super-PACs which backed Ben Carson in 2016. They also supported Donald Trump in 2020 and gave Ted Cruz (R-Texas) a boost in his Senate race against Beto O’Rourke in 2018.
Olson submitted an amicus short stating that Harris was not natural born in the United States. This falsehood makes it uneligible to serve as vice president. Harris was born in California. The conspiracy about Harris — the first Black U.S. vice president — echoes the racist birther theory Trump and others spread about President Barack Obama.
Olson used Twitter to promote some coronavirus claims that were denied by FDA.
A court filing revealed Olson’s attendance Lindell’s legal staff. The filing requests a Minnesota federal court judge for permission to permit Olson to appear at that court and to submit documents on Lindell’s behalf. where he is challenging a subpoena for his phone recordsFrom the House Committee investigating the causes of the Jan. 6, riot on Capitol Hill. Olson can’t practice law in Minnesota because he isn’t licensed to do so.
After Lindell repeatedly claimed that Trump’s defeat by election fraud was the reason for his victory in 2020, Lindell came under scrutiny from the committee.
Longtime defense attorney Alan DershowitzLindell’s subpoena case is being handled by him as well. Trump was represented by Dershowitz in his impeachment. He also worked as an attorney for Rudy Giuliani (former New York City Mayor) who pushed for the overturning of 2020 results.
Lindell replied to CNBC’s text questions regarding Olson’s advice. He said the following: Brian, you should be a journalist, and cover the electoral crimes of 2020. “I don’t have the time today to entertain you as a terrible journalist!”
Lindell has made numerous claims concerning the 2020 election which both federal and state officials claim are false. William Barr, Trump’s attorney general, stated that there wasn’t widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. The efforts of the president to reverse the results were rebuffed by courts dozens upon dozens. Trump still spreads conspiracy theories about election results over a year later than when he lost.
Olson has not responded to an email asking for comment.
Olson’s connections to GOP super-PACs
Olson’s company website states that it practices campaign fundraising. William J. Olson P.C. says that it specializes on “negotiation and review of fundraising solicitations; compliance to federal, state, and local charitable solicitation law; participation in Federal Government’s Combined Federal Campaign.”
FEC records indicate that Olson’s company has received just under $160,000 from at least two different PACs since 2016, for “legal fees”. Clients did not provide any further details about what Olson’s firm did for these committees. These committees are legally allowed to spend or raise unlimited amounts of money.
The Stars and Stripes Forever PAC was the name of one of the PACs which paid Olson’s business. They backed Carson in the Republican primaries and Trump during the general election.
According to Center for Responsive Politics, the 2016 Committee supported Carson with $5 million. They spent $1million in general elections supporting Trump over Clinton.
John Philip Sousa III, the PAC leader, is also the great-grandson and bandleader who wrote “The Stars and Stripes Forever”. Olson, Olson’s representative, says that the PAC will continue to be active in the 2022 midterm election.
Sousa stated in an email that Olson “was/is our lawyer and kept us out trouble with The Feds.” His follow-up email asking for examples of Olson’s contributions to the PAC was not returned. His definition of Feds in this instance was the FEC.
CRP data shows that Sousa’s PAC spent more than $115,000 to support Trump in the 2020 election, and an additional $48,000 against Biden.
Julianna Hawn Holt was a major donor to the group during the 2016 elections. was chairman and co-CEO of Spurs Sports & EntertainmentCompany that is the owner of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs.
Mother Jones previously reportedWhen Joe Arpaio was elected to reelection as Maricopa County Sheriff in 2012, Sousa supported him by running a PAC. Trump pardoned Arpaio’s 2017 offense of criminal contempt after he had been convicted for refusing to allow immigration detentions because they were not legal.
According to filings, Olson’s law firm received legal work from the Hispanic Victory PAC. The CRP data shows that O’Rourke was supported by the group for more than $40,000 in 2018, while Cruz received over $40,000 from Cruz.
Hispanic Victory PAC’s former chair did not respond to an email seeking comments.
Kamala Harris, Covid
Olson signed an amicus brief in support of the dismissal a suit that claimed Harris was not a natural-born citizen and therefore cannot legally be vice president. Olson was representing an outside group.
Several fact-checkers including FactCheck.org disproved this theory regarding Harris during the 2020 election. Contrary to viral Facebook posts, the website stated that Kamala Harris (ex-Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate) is qualified to run for the U.S. presidency. Her mother is from India and her father from Jamaica — but Harris was born in Oakland, California.”
Olson filed an amicus brief in November 2020 that stated Harris wasn’t a natural born citizen.
The filing states that she was not a natural born citizen nor a citizen of the United States at the Adoption of this Constitution. She is therefore ineligible to become Vice President or President of the United States.
Olson began using Twitter to promote false Covid information since that time. Olson posted a tweet in December on Twitter, which was the month Covid cases exploded across the nation. The company called it “misleading.”
This tweet was based on Zero Hedge’s article “Ivermectin prophylaxis for COVID-19 decreases COVID-19 infected and death rates.” Food and Drug Administration stated that it had not approved or authorized ivermectin as an antiparasitic medication for the prevention or treatment of Covid-19.
Olson sent another December tweet encouraging people to not get vaccines against Covid.
The name Dr. Malone refers to the same doctor as The Atlantic claims is a vaccine scientist. misinformation.
Trump encouraged the vaccination of his own family members.
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