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- A judge has shut down Mike Lindell’s attempt to get his cell phone back from the FBI.
- In the Thursday ruling, the judge additionally rejected Lindell’s request to entry an affidavit.
- In September, Lindell sued the FBI and DOJ for seizing his phone, claiming they’d violated his rights.
A federal judge shut down MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s attempt to get his phone back from the FBI final week.
Lindell had his phone seized by the FBI at a fast-food restaurant in Minnesota earlier this year. The motion was taken in reference to an inquiry into pro-Trump election official, Tina Peters.
Politico reported the story on Thursday after acquiring court docket paperwork. On Thursday, the US District Court judge Eric Tostrud additionally rejected Lindell’s request to entry the affidavit that justified the seizure.
Tostrud, who relies in Minnesota, dominated that the authorities had “demonstrated a compelling interest in the ongoing criminal investigation” that outweighed Lindell’s proper of entry, per the court docket paperwork obtained by Politico.
The judge additionally mentioned there can be no sensible manner to present a redacted model of the paperwork to Lindell, per Politico.
Peters has been accused of facilitating an election-data leak that was introduced at a convention hosted by Lindell in August final 12 months.
In September, Lindell sued the FBI and DOJ for seizing his phone, claiming they had violated his “First, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment” rights, in accordance to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by Insider.
He additionally demanded that his cell phone be returned and that any info obtained from his phone was not launched.
Representatives for Lindell didn’t instantly reply to Insider’s request for remark made exterior regular working hours.
Lindell is a longtime ally of former US president Donald Trump. He has promoted and backed his discredited claims over widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
