Latest news with #EricCoomer
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
MyPillow's Mike Lindell faces trial and plans to testify about 2020 election lies
A trial underway in Colorado could add to the financial problems facing the pillow salesman and prominent election denier Mike Lindell and will serve as another test of whether defamation law can be effective to fight false claims about elections. Opening statements began Tuesday in a case brought by Eric Coomer, who formerly worked in security and voting technology strategy for voting machine company Dominion. Coomer sued Lindell and a host of others who spread unproven claims that he interfered with the 2020 election. . Companies and individuals who were targeted by the right with false stolen election claims after the 2020 election have attempted to use defamation law to hold parties including Fox News and other rightwing media outlets accountable for false claims. Several lawsuits have been settled, including a claim Coomer brought against conservative outlet Newsmax, while juries have awarded damages in others, including a major judgment against Rudy Giuliani. The conspiracy theories about Coomer started with a rightwing podcaster in Colorado, Joe Oltmann, who claimed that someone who identified himself as 'Eric the Dominion guy' had been on an 'antifa' call where he said: 'Don't worry about the election, Trump is not gonna win. I made fucking sure of that.' Oltmann found some of Coomer's social media posts, which were anti-Donald Trump. Oltmann has not produced any tape of the alleged call, nor any other proof that Coomer manipulated the election. Coomer is also suing Oltmann, who is expected to testify this week in the Lindell trial. Lindell elevated Oltmann's claims and has fought the lawsuit, one of several he has faced over his election lies. His online TV network, LindellTV, is providing regular coverage of the case. On Monday, the day the jury was selected, Lindell held a news conference outside the courthouse before the trial began. He said he plans to take the stand at trial this week, telling Rolling Stone: 'Of course I'm gonna testify at my own trial! … I have nothing to hide. I am a former crack addict; I've always been open about that. I've always been open about everything! I'm as transparent as they come … So I have nothing to hide at this trial.' Coomer filed the lawsuit against Lindell in April 2022. Coomer's attorneys have argued Lindell's statements about Coomer were in part motivated by Newsmax not allowing Lindell to go on its programs after the company settled the lawsuit Coomer brought against it for spreading false claims, according to the Denver Post. Lindell's attorneys said Coomer's lawsuit against Lindell 'triggered' the pillow salesman into defaming Coomer, the paper reported. In videos shown to the jury on Tuesday, Lindell said Coomer had participated in 'the biggest crime this world has ever seen', reported 9 News, a local Denver news outlet. Lindell's attorneys said they would not show evidence of a rigged election because it was immaterial to Lindell's defense. 'It's just words. All Mike Lindell did was talk,' Chris Kachouroff, Lindell's attorney, said. 'Mike believed that he was telling the truth.' According to 9News, Coomer testified in the case on Tuesday, saying he has never interfered with an election and that Lindell's claims had caused intense disruption to his life. Coomer said he feared for his life, experienced death threats and had gone into hiding for a time. 'Ultimately it's to try to regain some semblance of my life. I didn't just lose my livelihood, I lost my life as a direct result of statements by Mr. Lindell accusing me of being a traitor,' Coomer said. Lindell is also being sued by Dominion and Smartmatic, another voting machine company. Those lawsuits have not made it to trial. Lindell has struggled to pay for his legal defense – a law firm that was representing him sought to be removed from his cases because he owed them millions of dollars and couldn't pay, the Star Tribune reported.
CNN
3 days ago
- Business
- CNN
A key figure in Trump's conspiracy coalition goes on trial
Whenever President Trump sees his ally Mike Lindell, Trump pours on the praise. A 'patriot.' A 'brave guy.' The 'single greatest advertiser in history.' Right now, though, Lindell is something else: A defendant. The CEO of MyPillow, who built his business through incessant commercials and devotion to Trump, is on trial in Colorado over his tirades about the 2020 election. Opening statements happened Tuesday morning in a case brought by Eric Coomer, a former Dominion Voting Systems executive who sued Lindell for defamation in 2022. Coomer told CNN he was forced into hiding when bogus conspiracy theories about Dominion rigging the 2020 election against Trump led to a deluge of death threats. He later charged in the lawsuit that Lindell and MyPillow were 'among the most prolific vectors' of the lies and said the rhetorical campaign had 'devastating' real-world consequences. Dominion famously prevailed in a similar defamation lawsuit against Fox News in 2023 when Fox agreed to pay the company $787.5 million. Dominion has numerous other lawsuits still pending. Coomer also settled one of his other suits, this one against the far-right network One America News, in 2023. But Coomer's case against Lindell has reached a jury, and he is expected to take the stand as soon as Tuesday afternoon. For plaintiffs like Coomer, one of the hopes is that legal victories could cause partisan talking heads to think twice before sowing doubt about future elections. Lindell, forever a showman, has repositioned himself as a free speech warrior amid widespread condemnation of his lies about the 2020 election. The pillow businessman recently claimed that 'I'm in ruins' as a result of the numerous lawsuits stemming from his election-related claims. Both Dominion and another voting tech company, Smartmatic, are actively suing Lindell for defamation. Smartmatic alleges that Lindell 'generated profits for his company by skillfully incorporating product promotions to his defamation campaign.' In March, a federal judge in Minnesota found that Lindell was in contempt of court because Lindell had failed to turn over required documents in the Smartmatic case. Lindell has attempted to turn the current Colorado trial into both a media circus and a fundraising opportunity. His obscure online video network, appropriately named LindellTV, has portrayed him as a martyr and promoted his pillows simultaneously. Host Emerald Robinson — a well-known conspiracy theorist like her boss — has called the case 'the most important trial in the history of American elections.' Lindell's running online commentary has doubled as a potential preview of his legal defense. 'I didn't know the guy,' Lindell said Monday, apparently referring to Coomer, claiming 'he came after me' and 'this is very, very organized.' Lindell also recast the defamation trial as a crusade for 'secure elections' and repeated some of his discredited talking points about electronic voting machines. But what he says on the courthouse steps is one thing; what is said in court is another. Notably, Lindell's attorneys said Tuesday that they won't try to prove his election lies during the trial. 'All Mike Lindell did was talk,' Lindell's lawyer, Chris Kachouroff, reportedly told the jury. 'Mike believed that he was telling the truth,' the lawyer added. 'It doesn't have to be true.' Lindell has received support from some high-profile MAGA media figures, including Steve Bannon, who interviewed Lindell on the 'War Room' podcast Tuesday morning. Bannon gave Lindell time to 'sell us a pillow and some sheets,' and the veteran salesman obliged, telling viewers that MyPillow sales revenues are underwriting his defense. Lindell's number one supporter remains the president. When both men spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, Trump lamented the 'FBI thugs' who seized Lindell's phone during an investigation in 2022. 'I want to thank you on behalf of everybody, Mike, you put up with a tremendous amount,' Trump said. 'He never changed his mind. He said that election of 2020 was rigged and he's more of a believer today than he was even four years ago. But now it's OK to say it, Mike! Now it's fine.' Lindell is a key member of Trump's conspiracy coalition — a group of MAGA media personalities and their legions of followers who embrace and promote various politically charged theories that bear little if any connection to reality. A wild new example emerged last weekend: Trump's amplification of a Truth Social post imagining that former president Joe Biden was actually a robot clone when he was in office between 2021 and 2024. On CNN's 'NewsNight,' anchor Abby Phillip pointed out that 'for two months, all the attention's been on the mental acuity of the previous president,' meaning Biden. 'And while the scrutiny is justified, what about the current president? After all, he's pushing a batshit conspiracy theory that Joe Biden was executed in 2020 and replaced with a clone robot.' The Bulwark editor-at-large Bill Kristol reacted by saying, 'Trump doesn't believe it,' but he knows many of his supporters 'love conspiracy theories,' and 'the conspiracists are a big part of the Trump administration.' In other words, Trump's repost was appealing to that conspiracy coalition — a group that is both entertained and motivated by his theories. While Trump-promoting outlets like Fox News laughed off the Trump repost, some media critics said it should be taken seriously. It is evidence of 'Trump's disordered mental state,' Stephen Robinson wrote for Public Notice on Tuesday morning. Avery Lotz wrote for Axios that Trump mixes 'wild conspiracies with market-moving policies' in his feed on Truth Social. Lotz concluded, 'With no fact-checks or consequences for falsehoods, Trump can be, as he's shared multiple posts saying, 'right about everything.''
CNN
3 days ago
- Business
- CNN
A key figure in Trump's conspiracy coalition goes on trial
Whenever President Trump sees his ally Mike Lindell, Trump pours on the praise. A 'patriot.' A 'brave guy.' The 'single greatest advertiser in history.' Right now, though, Lindell is something else: A defendant. The CEO of MyPillow, who built his business through incessant commercials and devotion to Trump, is on trial in Colorado over his tirades about the 2020 election. Opening statements happened Tuesday morning in a case brought by Eric Coomer, a former Dominion Voting Systems executive who sued Lindell for defamation in 2022. Coomer told CNN he was forced into hiding when bogus conspiracy theories about Dominion rigging the 2020 election against Trump led to a deluge of death threats. He later charged in the lawsuit that Lindell and MyPillow were 'among the most prolific vectors' of the lies and said the rhetorical campaign had 'devastating' real-world consequences. Dominion famously prevailed in a similar defamation lawsuit against Fox News in 2023 when Fox agreed to pay the company $787.5 million. Dominion has numerous other lawsuits still pending. Coomer also settled one of his other suits, this one against the far-right network One America News, in 2023. But Coomer's case against Lindell has reached a jury, and he is expected to take the stand as soon as Tuesday afternoon. For plaintiffs like Coomer, one of the hopes is that legal victories could cause partisan talking heads to think twice before sowing doubt about future elections. Lindell, forever a showman, has repositioned himself as a free speech warrior amid widespread condemnation of his lies about the 2020 election. The pillow businessman recently claimed that 'I'm in ruins' as a result of the numerous lawsuits stemming from his election-related claims. Both Dominion and another voting tech company, Smartmatic, are actively suing Lindell for defamation. Smartmatic alleges that Lindell 'generated profits for his company by skillfully incorporating product promotions to his defamation campaign.' In March, a federal judge in Minnesota found that Lindell was in contempt of court because Lindell had failed to turn over required documents in the Smartmatic case. Lindell has attempted to turn the current Colorado trial into both a media circus and a fundraising opportunity. His obscure online video network, appropriately named LindellTV, has portrayed him as a martyr and promoted his pillows simultaneously. Host Emerald Robinson — a well-known conspiracy theorist like her boss — has called the case 'the most important trial in the history of American elections.' Lindell's running online commentary has doubled as a potential preview of his legal defense. 'I didn't know the guy,' Lindell said Monday, apparently referring to Coomer, claiming 'he came after me' and 'this is very, very organized.' Lindell also recast the defamation trial as a crusade for 'secure elections' and repeated some of his discredited talking points about electronic voting machines. But what he says on the courthouse steps is one thing; what is said in court is another. Notably, Lindell's attorneys said Tuesday that they won't try to prove his election lies during the trial. 'All Mike Lindell did was talk,' Lindell's lawyer, Chris Kachouroff, reportedly told the jury. 'Mike believed that he was telling the truth,' the lawyer added. 'It doesn't have to be true.' Lindell has received support from some high-profile MAGA media figures, including Steve Bannon, who interviewed Lindell on the 'War Room' podcast Tuesday morning. Bannon gave Lindell time to 'sell us a pillow and some sheets,' and the veteran salesman obliged, telling viewers that MyPillow sales revenues are underwriting his defense. Lindell's number one supporter remains the president. When both men spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, Trump lamented the 'FBI thugs' who seized Lindell's phone during an investigation in 2022. 'I want to thank you on behalf of everybody, Mike, you put up with a tremendous amount,' Trump said. 'He never changed his mind. He said that election of 2020 was rigged and he's more of a believer today than he was even four years ago. But now it's OK to say it, Mike! Now it's fine.' Lindell is a key member of Trump's conspiracy coalition — a group of MAGA media personalities and their legions of followers who embrace and promote various politically charged theories that bear little if any connection to reality. A wild new example emerged last weekend: Trump's amplification of a Truth Social post imagining that former president Joe Biden was actually a robot clone when he was in office between 2021 and 2024. On CNN's 'NewsNight,' anchor Abby Phillip pointed out that 'for two months, all the attention's been on the mental acuity of the previous president,' meaning Biden. 'And while the scrutiny is justified, what about the current president? After all, he's pushing a batshit conspiracy theory that Joe Biden was executed in 2020 and replaced with a clone robot.' The Bulwark editor-at-large Bill Kristol reacted by saying, 'Trump doesn't believe it,' but he knows many of his supporters 'love conspiracy theories,' and 'the conspiracists are a big part of the Trump administration.' In other words, Trump's repost was appealing to that conspiracy coalition — a group that is both entertained and motivated by his theories. While Trump-promoting outlets like Fox News laughed off the Trump repost, some media critics said it should be taken seriously. It is evidence of 'Trump's disordered mental state,' Stephen Robinson wrote for Public Notice on Tuesday morning. Avery Lotz wrote for Axios that Trump mixes 'wild conspiracies with market-moving policies' in his feed on Truth Social. Lotz concluded, 'With no fact-checks or consequences for falsehoods, Trump can be, as he's shared multiple posts saying, 'right about everything.''
CNN
3 days ago
- Business
- CNN
A key figure in Trump's conspiracy coalition goes on trial
Whenever President Trump sees his ally Mike Lindell, Trump pours on the praise. A 'patriot.' A 'brave guy.' The 'single greatest advertiser in history.' Right now, though, Lindell is something else: A defendant. The CEO of MyPillow, who built his business through incessant commercials and devotion to Trump, is on trial in Colorado over his tirades about the 2020 election. Opening statements happened Tuesday morning in a case brought by Eric Coomer, a former Dominion Voting Systems executive who sued Lindell for defamation in 2022. Coomer told CNN he was forced into hiding when bogus conspiracy theories about Dominion rigging the 2020 election against Trump led to a deluge of death threats. He later charged in the lawsuit that Lindell and MyPillow were 'among the most prolific vectors' of the lies and said the rhetorical campaign had 'devastating' real-world consequences. Dominion famously prevailed in a similar defamation lawsuit against Fox News in 2023 when Fox agreed to pay the company $787.5 million. Dominion has numerous other lawsuits still pending. Coomer also settled one of his other suits, this one against the far-right network One America News, in 2023. But Coomer's case against Lindell has reached a jury, and he is expected to take the stand as soon as Tuesday afternoon. For plaintiffs like Coomer, one of the hopes is that legal victories could cause partisan talking heads to think twice before sowing doubt about future elections. Lindell, forever a showman, has repositioned himself as a free speech warrior amid widespread condemnation of his lies about the 2020 election. The pillow businessman recently claimed that 'I'm in ruins' as a result of the numerous lawsuits stemming from his election-related claims. Both Dominion and another voting tech company, Smartmatic, are actively suing Lindell for defamation. Smartmatic alleges that Lindell 'generated profits for his company by skillfully incorporating product promotions to his defamation campaign.' In March, a federal judge in Minnesota found that Lindell was in contempt of court because Lindell had failed to turn over required documents in the Smartmatic case. Lindell has attempted to turn the current Colorado trial into both a media circus and a fundraising opportunity. His obscure online video network, appropriately named LindellTV, has portrayed him as a martyr and promoted his pillows simultaneously. Host Emerald Robinson — a well-known conspiracy theorist like her boss — has called the case 'the most important trial in the history of American elections.' Lindell's running online commentary has doubled as a potential preview of his legal defense. 'I didn't know the guy,' Lindell said Monday, apparently referring to Coomer, claiming 'he came after me' and 'this is very, very organized.' Lindell also recast the defamation trial as a crusade for 'secure elections' and repeated some of his discredited talking points about electronic voting machines. But what he says on the courthouse steps is one thing; what is said in court is another. Notably, Lindell's attorneys said Tuesday that they won't try to prove his election lies during the trial. 'All Mike Lindell did was talk,' Lindell's lawyer, Chris Kachouroff, reportedly told the jury. 'Mike believed that he was telling the truth,' the lawyer added. 'It doesn't have to be true.' Lindell has received support from some high-profile MAGA media figures, including Steve Bannon, who interviewed Lindell on the 'War Room' podcast Tuesday morning. Bannon gave Lindell time to 'sell us a pillow and some sheets,' and the veteran salesman obliged, telling viewers that MyPillow sales revenues are underwriting his defense. Lindell's number one supporter remains the president. When both men spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, Trump lamented the 'FBI thugs' who seized Lindell's phone during an investigation in 2022. 'I want to thank you on behalf of everybody, Mike, you put up with a tremendous amount,' Trump said. 'He never changed his mind. He said that election of 2020 was rigged and he's more of a believer today than he was even four years ago. But now it's OK to say it, Mike! Now it's fine.' Lindell is a key member of Trump's conspiracy coalition — a group of MAGA media personalities and their legions of followers who embrace and promote various politically charged theories that bear little if any connection to reality. A wild new example emerged last weekend: Trump's amplification of a Truth Social post imagining that former president Joe Biden was actually a robot clone when he was in office between 2021 and 2024. On CNN's 'NewsNight,' anchor Abby Phillip pointed out that 'for two months, all the attention's been on the mental acuity of the previous president,' meaning Biden. 'And while the scrutiny is justified, what about the current president? After all, he's pushing a batshit conspiracy theory that Joe Biden was executed in 2020 and replaced with a clone robot.' The Bulwark editor-at-large Bill Kristol reacted by saying, 'Trump doesn't believe it,' but he knows many of his supporters 'love conspiracy theories,' and 'the conspiracists are a big part of the Trump administration.' In other words, Trump's repost was appealing to that conspiracy coalition — a group that is both entertained and motivated by his theories. While Trump-promoting outlets like Fox News laughed off the Trump repost, some media critics said it should be taken seriously. It is evidence of 'Trump's disordered mental state,' Stephen Robinson wrote for Public Notice on Tuesday morning. Avery Lotz wrote for Axios that Trump mixes 'wild conspiracies with market-moving policies' in his feed on Truth Social. Lotz concluded, 'With no fact-checks or consequences for falsehoods, Trump can be, as he's shared multiple posts saying, 'right about everything.''
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Trump loyalist Mike Lindell to take the stand in defamation trial
A US federal trial has begun for MyPillow chief executive and Donald Trump supporter Mike Lindell, who is accused of defaming a former employee at an electronic voting company in the bitter aftermath of the 2020 Lindell is being sued by a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems, who claims Lindsell falsely accused him of helping to steal the vote - which was won by Joe man says his reputation was "irreparably tarnished" by Mr itself has also filed cases against several Trump allies who it claims baselessly alleged that the company's voting machines had been rigged during the vote. Trump himself asserted that there had been widespread voter fraud – a claim that was labelled "baseless" by a select committee report into an attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 by Trump's in Mr Lindell's case began in Denver, Colorado, on Monday with jury selection. Outside the court, he said: "We're in a battle of biblical proportions, of evil and good."He is expected to take the stand to defend himself during the jury trial. Judge Nina Wang, a Biden appointee, will man who brought the case, Eric Coomer, is a Colorado resident who handled security for Dominion Voting filed lawsuits in 2022 against Mr Lindell and two of his companies, My Pillow, Inc and Lindell TV, for an undisclosed amount.A court filing says: "After more than fifteen years as a respected professional at the top of his field, Dr Coomer's reputation has been irreparably tarnished."He "now endures frequent credible death threats and the burden of being made the face of an imagined criminal conspiracy of unprecedented scope in American history", says the 2021, several major US shops stopped carrying Mr Lindell's products as he began endorsing election conspiracies. Trump himself has falsely claimed the 2020 election was "rigged" by mass voter sued Fox News for $1.6bn (£1.2bn) accusing the network of spreading lies about the election. Fox settled out of court for $787.5m.
