Ronna McDaniel won her fourth term as the head of the Republican National Committee (RNC) on Friday, fending off opposition driven by disappointing results from the 2022 midterm elections.
The results come after a heated race in which attorney Harmeet Dhillon and pillow magnate Mike Lindell sought to replace McDaniel, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/561571d13f67762b576cca42b28b15b5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a>.
Many of former President Donald Trump&#8217;s top lieutenants, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/26/politics/rnc-chair-vote-meeting/index.html">including</a> top adviser Susie Wiles, were whipping votes on behalf of the incumbent chair.
Other MAGA stalwarts and many of the former president’s defenders in the press and on network news sided with Dhillon. The Republican Party’s losses in the 2018, 2020, and 2022 elections showed that the party needs a change of pace, Dhillon’s supporters argued.
The RNC chair race received a last-minute shock on Thursday as Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made comments to Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk favorable to Dhillon. The Florida governor said the party needed “new blood” at the top.
“I think we need a change, I think we need to get some new blood in the RNC, I like what Harmeet Dhillon said about getting the RNC out of D.C.,” DeSantis <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/26/desantis-scrambles-rnc-race-after-praising-dhillon-and-urging-new-blood-00079737">said</a>. “I do think we need some fresh thinking. And practically you need grassroots Republicans to power this organization with volunteering and donations, and I think it’s going to be very difficult to energize people to want to give money and volunteer their time with the RNC if they don’t change direction.”
The campaign at times became personal on both sides as Dhillon and McDaniel battled for a majority of support. Lindell, though running, was seen as a distant third and unlikely to garner the votes as an outsider.
Dhillon suggested that McDaniel may be trying to influence the votes of committee members by threatening to withhold party funds from their states. McDaniel denied the allegations.
Opponents of Dhillon reportedly <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/11/harmeet-dhillon-rnc-00077583">spread</a> concerns over the attorney’s “Sikh faith.” Dhillon said in a statement responding to the insinuations that it was “hurtful to learn that a handful of RNC members, in a close race for RNC chair, have chosen to question my fitness to run the RNC by using my devout Sikh faith as a weapon against me.”
McDaniel released a statement condemning religious bigotry.
“We are the party of faith, family and freedom, and these attacks have no place in our party or our politics,” McDaniel said. “As a member of a minority faith myself, I would never condone such attacks. I have vowed to run a positive campaign and will continue to do so.”

Ronna McDaniel

Ronna McDaniel Fends Off Opposition, Elected To Fourth Term As GOP Chair

California

Harmeet Dhillon

Mike Lindell

Republican National Committee (RNC)

Ronna Romney McDaniel

My Pillow CEO <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-lindell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Lindell</a>, a diehard Trump loyalist, seemed to suggest that Governor Ron DeSantis’ victory in Florida last month wasn’t on the up-and-up.
DeSantis dominated his Democrat opponent in his midterm election blowout, winning by more than 1.5 million votes, a 19.4% margin of victory.
DeSantis won 62 of Florida’s 67 counties, including 59 counties by double digits. DeSantis won Miami-Dade County, the largest county in the state and a Democrat stronghold, by 11 points. He won Palm Beach County, the third largest county in the state and another Democrat stronghold, by three points.
&#8220;What we&#8217;re doing now is, I&#8217;m going after Dade County in the 2022 election. And everyone says, &#8216;Well, why would you go after Dade County?’” Lindell said. &#8220;This is where Ron DeSantis won Dade County, that&#8217;s a Republican won Dade County. Well, for me, I look at deviations, everybody. That&#8217;s a deviation.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe it,&#8221; Lindell claimed. &#8220;So I want to show, it&#8217;s gonna show everybody just like we always say about Democrats where they stole their elections, just like they did, the one nice lady in Georgia that got zero votes in her own precinct. I want to find out in Dade County, what happened there because it&#8217;s, it&#8217;s a deviation from norm, you know, it&#8217;s very much a deviation.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Trump loyalist Mike Lindell says he’s going to audit Governor Ron DeSantis’ election win in Florida because he doesn’t “believe” that DeSantis won. He implies DeSantis “stole” the election.
 <a href="https://t.co/gmholKOyZV">pic.twitter.com/gmholKOyZV</a>
&mdash; Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1605458815184678912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The FBI previously <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/27/us/politics/lindell-mypillow-trump-election-deniers.html">seized</a> Lindell’s cellphone in an investigation into voting machine tampering.
Lindell was <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/19/mike-lindell-lawsuit-voting-machine-company-00057512">ordered</a> by a federal judge that he must face a lawsuit over false claims that he made about voting machines from Smartmatic Corp. after he tried to get the lawsuit dismissed.
Edward Buchanan, Wyoming&#8217;s Republican Secretary of State, slammed Lindell in a <a href="https://sos.wyo.gov/Media/2022/Response_to_Mike_Lindell_Comments_6_20_22.pdf">statement</a> over the summer, warning: &#8220;Mike Lindell is NOT the purveyor of election integrity truth.&#8221;
&#8220;Mike Lindell, peddler of pillows and promises, traveled to Wyoming to speak in conjunction with a political rally,&#8221; Buchanan said. &#8220;While here, he took it upon himself to allege publicly that widespread election fraud occurred in our fair state. He went on to declare that anyone who does not agree with him is a traitor to our country.&#8221;
&#8220;As the Chief Election Officer for the State of Wyoming, it is important for me to ensure that each of you know that Mr. Lindell’s statement is false,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Not only is the allegation he made untrue, it is designed to influence your opinion and obscure the truth. On behalf of Wyoming’s 23 county clerks, and my office, I offer you the truth about Wyoming’s elections.&#8221;
Buchanan continued by debunking the claims that Lindell made:
<blockquote>When Mike Lindell began advertising his groundbreaking cybersecurity conference which would “prove” fraud across the country, my office reached out to his organization. We were eager to find out what evidence he held. Our goal was to become informed about any proof he had so that we could take action. Their response was simple. “If you want the information, you will have to attend the conference.” Think about that for a minute. If you had proof of a crime of Constitutional proportions, wouldn’t you be eager to share it with anyone who asked?
Unwilling to dismiss any allegation of fraud, we followed Mr. Lindell’s direction and I had my Deputy Secretary of State and my Communications Director attend the 72 hour conference virtually &#8211; watching the entire thing. There was no evidence presented. Of course, we did see during the conference, scrolling across the screen, that one could buy his products at a deep discount. We then reached out to Frank Speech, Mr. Lindell’s organization, several times to again request proof of his allegations. They provided us with NOTHING. As of today, the only information we obtained from Mr. Lindell was unearthed by our own staff researching on his website. Each of his claims have been disproven by the work of my staff. Mr. Lindell’s “facts” include the following:
Lindell’s claim: Wyoming had Dominion voting equipment for the 2020 election. 
Fact: In May of 2020, all counties received brand new election equipment with state of the art security. It was first used in the 2020 election and was NOT manufactured by Dominion.
Lindell’s claim: 20,000 votes were stolen from Donald Trump in Wyoming. 
Fact: Graphics that we found on the Frank Speech website regarding election fraud in Wyoming are full of a myriad of numbers of flipped votes from 20,000, 11,222 and 22,444. He can’t even keep his own fraudulent numbers straight. Even his own cyber-security experts have stated he has no credible evidence to support his claims.
Lindell’s claim: Wyoming IP addresses from his website provide “evidence” of actual computers intercepting data regarding the election. 
Fact: The IP addresses provided on his website pointed to computers outside of Wyoming and were not the IP addresses of any county clerk in Wyoming. Further, many of the dates of the alleged “interception” were after the election took place. All 23 county election totals were received by my Office on election night and did not change when the State Canvassing Board met a week later and certified the results.
Lindell’s claim: Wyoming voting machines are connected to the internet. 
Fact: The voting equipment purchased in 2020 and used across the entire state contains neither hardware nor software to allow for internet access.
And finally, I offer each of you some of my own evidence that your vote was counted exactly as you cast it.
Fact: Wyoming voting equipment undergoes both a pre-election &amp; a post-election audit. The 2020 results of the general election indicated 100 percent accuracy across the entire state.
Fact: In the 2020 election, President Trump won by 70% in Wyoming which is consistent with historical trends we have seen in Wyoming with past presidential elections. The only candidate to receive a higher percentage of the vote was President Reagan, winning 73% of the vote in 1984.
Mike Lindell &#8211; the man with the “proof” &#8211; has never contacted my office directly or indirectly to share it. He has never provided anyone with a single piece of information indicating that Wyoming’s elections were tainted. When given a national stage to share his evidence, he simply resorted to calling me, and our county clerks, traitors. While that creates contemptuous pity for Mr. Lindell, I will simply respond with a quote by the great philosopher Socrates, “When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.”
No credible candidate for any office in Wyoming can say that Wyoming lacks election integrity. We consistently make improvements to our technology and processes to match the changes that time inevitably brings and will continue this practice to maintain that integrity.</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-my-pillow-ceo-mike-lindell-claims-fbi-surrounded-his-car-seized-cell-phone">My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell Claims FBI Surrounded His Car, Seized Cell Phone</a>

Key Speakers At Conservative Political Action Conference

Mike Lindell To Audit DeSantis’ Historic Re-Election Win: ‘I Don’t Believe It’

2022 Midterms

Elections

Florida

Politics

Ron DeSantis

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) announced Wednesday morning that he would not run to become the Republican National Committee&#8217;s (RNC) new leader but insisted that &#8220;change is desperately needed.&#8221;
The congressman, who recently lost a close gubernatorial battle with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), lashed out at the status quo on Twitter.
&#8220;RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel should not run for a 4th term,&#8221; Zeldin tweeted Wednesday morning. &#8220;I won’t be running for RNC Chair at this time with McDaniel’s reelection pre-baked by design, but that doesn’t mean she should even be running again. It’s time the GOP elects new leadership! It’s time for fresh blood!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel should not run for a 4th term.
I won’t be running for RNC Chair at this time with McDaniel’s reelection pre-baked by design, but that doesn’t mean she should even be running again.
It’s time the GOP elects new leadership!
It’s time for fresh blood!
&mdash; Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) <a href="https://twitter.com/leezeldin/status/1600475213027606530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Zeldin released a longer statement along with his announcement to express his concerns.
<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://get.dailywire.com/readers-pass/read-only-v2?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_medium=editorial&amp;utm_source=dwsite&amp;cid=dwplus&amp;mid=z&amp;xid=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/readers-pass/read-only-v2?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_medium=editorial&amp;utm_source=dwsite&amp;cid=dwplus&amp;mid=z&amp;xid=0" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-4293">TIRED OF THE LEGACY MEDIA’S BIAS CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE AND OBSCURING THE TRUTH? JOIN US.</a>
&#8220;Change is desperately needed, and there are many leaders, myself included, ready and willing to step up to ensure our party retools and transforms as critical elections fast approach, namely the 2024 Presidential and Congressional races,&#8221; he <a href="https://twitter.com/leezeldin/status/1600477109775761410" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
&#8220;However, the issue is Chairwoman McDaniel&#8217;s re-election appears to already be pre-baked, as if the disappointing results of every election during her tenure, including yesterday in Georgia, do not and should not even matter,&#8221; the congressman added.
Zeldin referred to the Georgia Senate runoff that incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) won Tuesday night over Republican challenger Herschel Walker. With more than 99% of estimated votes counted, Warnock has 51.31% support, leading by over 92,000 votes, <a href="https://results.decisiondeskhq.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to</a> Decision Desk HQ. Walker conceded on Tuesday night.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Decision Desk HQ projects Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) wins re-election to the U.S. Senate in Georgia.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DecisionMade?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DecisionMade</a>: 9:48pm EST
Follow more results here: <a href="https://t.co/hLeDr0wwEp">https://t.co/hLeDr0wwEp</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ica9IL7HyE">pic.twitter.com/Ica9IL7HyE</a>
&mdash; Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/DecisionDeskHQ/status/1600321318762577921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The New York congressman first <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lee-zeldin-very-seriously-considering-campaign-to-oust-ronna-mcdaniel-as-rnc-chair" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> that he was considering challenging McDaniel in November, shortly after the midterm elections. He was among many GOP leaders concerned with the party&#8217;s expected &#8220;red wave&#8221; that never materialized, which left the Senate in the hands of Democrats and only a slim Republican majority in the House.
Zeldin is one of multiple leaders who have discussed a challenge to McDaniel&#8217;s leadership. The Daily Wire recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/famed-conservative-attorney-harmeet-dhillon-to-challenge-ronna-mcdaniel-for-rnc-chair" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that conservative attorney Harmeet Dhillon said she plans to run against her.
“After three successive terms of underwhelming results at the polls for the GOP, all the while with leaders congratulating ourselves for outstanding performance, I feel that we owe it to our voters to have a serious debate about the leadership of the party and what we must change to actually win in 2024,” Dhillon said in a statement to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/04/mcdaniel-dhillon-rnc-chair-election-00072116">POLITICO</a>.
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell also <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/28/my-pillow-mike-lindell-rnc-chairman">said</a> he is &#8220;100% running for the RNC chairman.&#8221;
McDaniel recently told committee members she would run for re-election through the 2024 presidential election based on their feedback. She claimed to have support from a substantial majority of the 168-member committee.

Lee Zeldin

Lee Zeldin Makes His Decision On Run For RNC Chair

Congress

Conservative attorney Harmeet Dhillon reportedly said she plans on challenging Ronna McDaniel for Chairwoman of the Republican National Committee.
Dhillon, whose resume includes her service as former vice chairwoman of the California Republican Party and her expertise on civil liberties, has been allegedly meeting with RNC members in preparation for a bid to unseat McDaniel in the coming days.
“After three successive terms of underwhelming results at the polls for the GOP, all the while with leaders congratulating ourselves for outstanding performance, I feel that we owe it to our voters to have a serious debate about the leadership of the party and what we must change to actually win in 2024,” Dhillon said in a statement to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/04/mcdaniel-dhillon-rnc-chair-election-00072116">Politico</a>.
Rumors of Dhillon’s prospective run come after former New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin has said he would consider running — and Mercedes Schlapp, a former top Trump White House official who is the wife of American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp, has also considered running for the position.
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Dhillon said in her statement that “tens of thousands of Republicans have contacted me in recent weeks about the future of the party, demanding that we make changes in order to fulfill our only function of electing Republicans nationally.”
McDaniel recently told committee members she would run for reelection to lead the party through the 2024 presidential election based on the feedback from her support, many of whom reached out to her to continue leading the committee.
The chairwoman has not responded to requests for comment about Dhillon’s possible bid.
RNC members will hold a vote to determine the chairmanship at the committee’s annual winter meeting held at the beginning of the year in Dana Point, California.
MyPillow founder <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/03/politics/mypillow-lindell-supreme-court-dominion-defamation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Lindell</a> also said he would consider running for chair of the 168 member-committee. He is currently fighting a defamation lawsuit, filed by Dominion Voting Systems after Lindell claimed that the company rigged machines in the 2020 election in favor of President Joe Biden. Dominion is seeking $1.3 billion in damages.

Attorney Harmeet Dhillon California’s national committeewoman for the Republican National Committee poses for a photograph at her office in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)

Conservative Attorney Harmeet Dhillon To Challenge Ronna McDaniel For RNC Chair

General

My Pillow CEO <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-lindell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Lindell</a>, one of the fiercest defenders of former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a>, claimed during a livestream that the FBI surrounded his vehicle while he was on a hunting trip and seized his cell phone.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/14/us/politics/mike-lindell-search-warrant-investigation.html">reported</a> that the search warrant that Lindell was served appeared to be in connection to Colorado county clerk Tina Peters who is under indictment on state charges related to allegations about a scheme to download data from election equipment after the 2020 presidential election.
&#8220;I have my own breaking news tonight,&#8221; Lindell said on his show. &#8220;This afternoon I was, I went down hunting in Iowa for the early teal season with my friend this morning at 4 a.m. We got up headed down to Iowa. We were coming back and we stopped to get — go through a Hardee&#8217;s in Mankato, where I was born, in Mankato, Minnesota. And cars pulled up in front of us, to the side of us, and behind us, and I said, &#8216;Those are either bad guys or the FBI.&#8217; It turns out they were the FBI.&#8221;
Lindell claimed that one of the FBI agents told him, &#8220;Well, I got some bad news. &#8230; we&#8217;re taking your cell phone, we have a warrant for your cell phone.&#8221;
Lindell says that he resisted giving his cell phone to the agents. &#8220;I run five companies off that, I don&#8217;t have a computer, my hearing aids run off this,&#8221; Lindell said. &#8220;Everything runs off my phone.&#8221;
Lindell said that he called a lawyer and that the lawyer told him to turn over the phone to the FBI.
The New York Times reported that the FBI asked him about an image that was copied from a voting machine in Colorado and appeared on a website that Lindell operates.
A letter that agents gave Lindell asked him not to disclose the existence of the investigation but he decided to reveal it during his show&#8217;s livestream.
“Although the law does not require nondisclosure unless a court order is issued, we believe that the impact of any disclosure could be detrimental to the investigation,” the letter, signed by Aaron Teitelbaum, an assistant U.S. attorney, stated.
This report has been updated to include additional information.

Political activist Mike Lindell speaks during CPAC (

My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell Claims FBI Surrounded His Car, Seized Cell Phone

Donald Trump

Mar-a-Lago

Gun control activist David Hogg said Thursday morning that he plans to launch a “progressive” pillow company to compete against MyPillow owner Mike Lindell.
“[William LeGate] and I can and will run a better business and make a better product all with more happy staff than Mike the pillow guy while creating US based Union jobs and helping people,” tweeted Hogg. “This pillow fight is just getting started.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/williamlegate?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@williamlegate</a> and I can and will run a better business and make a better product all with more happy staff than Mike the pillow guy while creating US based Union jobs and helping people.
This pillow fight is just getting started.
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidhogg111/status/1357397347169431555?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
In a later tweet thread, Hogg explained three tenants of his prospective pillow enterprise: Create union jobs for Americans, support progressive causes, and not “attempt a white supremacist overthrow” of the federal government so consumers can “sleep at night.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Mike the “my pillow guy” is commenting on his soon too be progressive competition in the form of a progressive pillow company <a href="https://twitter.com/williamlegate?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@williamlegate</a> and I are starting.
This pillow fight just got very real <a href="https://twitter.com/williamlegate?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@williamlegate</a> <a href="https://t.co/jSNrUit1ZB">https://t.co/jSNrUit1ZB</a>
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidhogg111/status/1357411188775268362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
As I work with <a href="https://twitter.com/williamlegate?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@williamlegate</a> I’m in an advisory role for the company to focus on school as this is happening.
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidhogg111/status/1357415564608733190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
In a statement to <a href="https://www.axios.com/david-hogg-pillow-mike-lindell-mypillow-legate-6d23b1a7-50b1-4f31-9391-53e69e36ca58.html">Axios</a>, Lindell responded: “Good for them&#8230;. nothing wrong with competition that does not infringe on someone&#8217;s patent.&#8221;
The MyPillow CEO was banned from Twitter last month for violating the company’s “civic integrity policy,” and says that stores have been pulling his products off shelves. Dominion Voting Systems has also sent him a cease-and-desist for making unsubstantiated allegations about the company.
“Despite your repeated promises — not to mention your considerable and costly efforts to bankroll a so-called investigation into Dominion — you have failed to identify a scintilla of credible evidence that even suggests that Dominion is somehow involved in a global conspiracy to harvest millions of votes in favor of President-elect Biden,” Dominion wrote to Lindell, according to a copy of the <a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/20458553/20210108-dominion-demand-letter-to-michael-lindell.pdf">letter</a> obtained by NBC News. “Of course, this is because no such evidence exists. But that is of no consequence to you because you are resolutely uninterested in acknowledging the truth about these issues.”
Lindell, who has refused to back down, was recently booted off NewsMax mid-interview for talking about Dominion.
Former Attorney General William Barr has disputed conspiratorial allegations about election machinery, telling <a href="https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d">The Associated Press</a> late last year: “There’s been one assertion that would be systemic fraud and that would be the claim that machines were programmed essentially to skew the election results. And the DHS and DOJ have looked into that, and so far, we haven’t seen anything to substantiate that.”

Eighteen X 18 Presents We Vote Next Summit

Gun Control Activist David Hogg Launching ‘Progressive’ MyPillow Competitor

David Hogg

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell became the latest to lose his Twitter account when he was banned Monday night for allegedly violating the company&#8217;s new &#8220;civic integrity policy.&#8221;
&#8220;The account you referenced has been permanently suspended due to repeated violations of our Civic Integrity Policy,&#8221; a Twitter spokesperson <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/26/business/mypillow-ceo-mike-lindell-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> CNN, referencing the rule instituted after the Capitol riot by which the social media giant can ban accounts that claim the 2020 election was stolen.
&#8220;You may not use Twitter’s services for the purpose of manipulating or interfering in elections or other civic processes,&#8221; the company <a href="https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/election-integrity-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">admonishes</a> users on its website. &#8220;This includes posting or sharing content that may suppress participation or mislead people about when, where, or how to participate in a civic process. In addition, we may label and reduce the visibility of Tweets containing false or misleading information about civic processes in order to provide additional context.&#8221;
Content forbidden under the civic integrity policy includes &#8220;misleading information about how to participate,&#8221; &#8220;suppression and intimidation,&#8221; as well as &#8220;misleading information about outcomes.&#8221;
&#8220;For severe or repeated violations of this policy, accounts will be permanently suspended,&#8221; Twitter further warns.
Lindell had claimed that the January 6 Capitol riot was &#8220;very peaceful&#8221; and blamed it on &#8220;undercover antifa,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/business/media/mypillow-mike-lindell-trump.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to The New York Times</a>. Lindell also claimed that former President Donald Trump, who has also been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/twitter-permanently-bans-trump-from-platform" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sent into Twitter exile</a>, would remain president.
Regarding why they muzzled Trump in the wake of the Capitol siege, Twitter said at the time, &#8220;After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.&#8221;
&#8220;In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action,&#8221; Twitter added.
Lindell&#8217;s ban is yet another setback for MyPillow&#8217;s CEO, who has been threatened by Dominion Voting Systems with a defamation lawsuit and also finds his products dropped by several major retailers. As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mypillow-dropped-at-major-retailers-mike-lindell-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>:
<blockquote>MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell <a href="https://www.kare11.com/article/news/politics/dominion-voting-systems-sends-letter-to-mypillow-ceo-threatening-lawsuit-over-false-voter-claims/89-4174cb4f-822b-4817-8ea4-a07ee4e02910">said</a> Monday that he has been dropped by major retailers, including Bed Bath &amp; Beyond, Kohl’s, HEB Stores, the Canadian Shopping Channel and Wayfair.
Lindell, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, reportedly <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mypillow-ceo-mike-lindell-says-products-were-dropped-major-retailers-n1254676">told</a> NBC News via email on Tuesday that “a group has attacked my vendors” and the companies informed him that they had been threatened with “a boycott” if they “don’t comply” to their demands to stop selling his products.
The reported move to drop MyPillow products from major retailers comes on the heels of Dominion Voting Systems sending a <a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/20458553/20210108-dominion-demand-letter-to-michael-lindell.pdf">letter</a> to Lindell threatening legal action if he does not retract unsubstantiated accusations concerning “millions” of “stolen” votes from President Trump and issue an apology to the voting equipment manufacturer.
</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mypillow-dropped-at-major-retailers-mike-lindell-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MyPillow Dropped At Major Retailers, Mike Lindell Says</a>

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell Permanently Banned From Twitter

Twitter

<div class="article__section article__section_type_text utility__text">
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell <a href="https://www.kare11.com/article/news/politics/dominion-voting-systems-sends-letter-to-mypillow-ceo-threatening-lawsuit-over-false-voter-claims/89-4174cb4f-822b-4817-8ea4-a07ee4e02910">said</a> Monday that he has been dropped by major retailers, including Bed Bath &amp; Beyond, Kohl’s, HEB Stores, the Canadian Shopping Channel and Wayfair.
Lindell, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, reportedly <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mypillow-ceo-mike-lindell-says-products-were-dropped-major-retailers-n1254676">told</a> NBC News via email on Tuesday that &#8220;a group has attacked my vendors&#8221; and the companies informed him that they had been threatened with &#8220;a boycott&#8221; if they &#8220;don’t comply&#8221; to their demands to stop selling his products.
The reported move to drop MyPillow products from major retailers comes on the heels of Dominion Voting Systems sending a <a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/20458553/20210108-dominion-demand-letter-to-michael-lindell.pdf">letter</a> to Lindell threatening legal action if he does not retract unsubstantiated accusations concerning &#8220;millions&#8221; of &#8220;stolen&#8221; votes from President Trump and issue an apology to the voting equipment manufacturer.
&#8220;Your smear campaign against Dominion has been relentless, and you have leveraged your significant social media following to inflict the maximum amount of damage to Dominion’s good name and business operations,&#8221; read the Dominion letter, dated Jan. 8, NBC reported.
&#8220;Despite your repeated promises — not to mention your considerable and costly efforts to bankroll a so-called investigation into Dominion — you have failed to identify a scintilla of credible evidence that even suggests that Dominion is somehow involved in a global conspiracy to harvest millions of votes in favor of President-elect Biden,&#8221; the letter continued. &#8220;Of course, this is because no such evidence exists.&#8221;
</div>
Lindell did not comment on his company&#8217;s future with the retailers who reportedly dropped him, NBC-affiliate KARE 11 <a href="https://www.kare11.com/article/news/politics/dominion-voting-systems-sends-letter-to-mypillow-ceo-threatening-lawsuit-over-false-voter-claims/89-4174cb4f-822b-4817-8ea4-a07ee4e02910">noted</a>, &#8220;but Monday&#8217;s cancellation did appear to be permanent.&#8221;
As of Wednesday morning, MyPillow products are still available at Bed Bath &amp; Beyond <a href="https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/s/mypillow?ta=typeahead">online</a> as well as on Kohl&#8217;s <a href="https://www.kohls.com/product/prd-2958266/my-pillow-queen-medium-fill-pillow.jsp?prdPV=1">online</a> store.
&#8220;A representative for Today&#8217;s Shopping Choice confirmed that MyPillow products would no longer be sold on the channel,&#8221; NBC reported. &#8220;Spokespeople for the other retailers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.&#8221;
Lindell remains defiant in the face of the boycott calls, maintaining in an email to NBC that his refuted claims are true. A screenshot Lindell sent of what he said was &#8220;one page of the proof&#8221; contained what NBC describes as &#8220;illegible text.&#8221;
Dominion has sent similar legal letters to other entities and individuals, including former Trump attorney Sidney Powell,  who have promoted what the company has condemned as &#8220;wild&#8221; and “demonstrably false” claims based on &#8220;wholly unreliable&#8221; sources. On Jan. 8, Dominion filed a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-dominion-files-1-3-billion-defamation-suit-against-sidney-powell">$1.3 billion defamation lawsuit</a> against Powell.

President Trump Holds Campaign Rally In Minneapolis

MyPillow Dropped At Major Retailers, Mike Lindell Says

Dominion

Sidney Powell

On Tuesday, CNN&#8217;s Anderson Cooper referred to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell as a &#8220;snake oil salesman&#8221; for pushing a not-yet-proven therapeutic treatment for COVID-19 that could benefit him.
According to <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/media/512546-cnns-cooper-to-mypillow-ceo-you-really-are-like-a-snake-oil-salesman">The Hill</a>, Lindell has been pushing &#8220;oleandrin as a potential therapeutic for COVID-19.&#8221; Last week, Lindell joined the board for Phoenix Biotechnology, which manufactures Oleandrin. The drug is an extract from the plant Nerium oleander.
“You really are a snake oil salesman. I mean, you could be in the Old West standing on a box telling people to drink your amazing elixir that there&#8217;s no proof [of],” Cooper told Lindell in an interview.
Lindell shot back, claiming he gave the drug to family and friends and that it “saved their lives.”
“I do what Jesus has me do,” Lindell said. &#8220;I give the glory to God. I&#8217;m not money-driven.&#8221;
“You think Jesus wants you out here promoting remedies that &#8230; [have] never been tested?” Cooper asked.
“Why would I do this? Ask yourself why would I ruin my reputation if I didn&#8217;t believe in this product?” Lindell responded.
Anderson Cooper pointed out to Lindell that he does actually not have a good reputation, citing his poor grade with the Better Business Bureau. At the top of the page, the <a href="https://www.bbb.org/us/mn/chaska/profile/pillows/my-pillow-inc-0704-96152336">BBB states</a>:
<blockquote>On October 23, 2019, the business entered into a Stipulated Final Judgement with the People of the State of California. The Stipulated Final Judgement settles allegations that the business used in their advertising claims that referenced scientific studies. Under terms of the Judgement, the business is permanently restrained from making  any claims or advertisements that refer or mention a 2018 study claiming to be a scientific study, unless the claim or advertisement has been first shown and pre-approved under the terms of the 2016 Judgement. The business is also required to pay a civil penalty of $100,000.00. The Judgement should not be considered as an admission of guilt or finding of violation of the law. For more details go to <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uZyJVNJzr7fsgIB9xFZwPth40cZyD-JQ/view?usp=sharing">this link</a>.</blockquote>
Though Lindell claimed that Oleandrin had been tested, he did not provide details on the actual study. He did claim, however, that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has had the research since April.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&gt;&gt; <a href="https://twitter.com/andersoncooper?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AndersonCooper</a> to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell: &quot;You really are like a snake oil salesman.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ENeSUfgc0J">pic.twitter.com/ENeSUfgc0J</a>
&mdash; Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianstelter/status/1295775026336104448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
When asked about the drug on Monday, Trump told reporters, “We’ll look at it.”
“We&#8217;re looking at a lot of different things. I will say the FDA has been great. They are very close. We&#8217;re very close to a vaccine. Very close to a therapeutic. I have heard that name mentioned, we&#8217;ll find out,&#8221; the president said.
Mike Lindell sparked ire on social media this past April when he called upon Americans to turn to God and read their bibles during this time.
“God gave us grace on Nov. 8, 2016 to change the course we were on. God had been taken out of our schools and lives, a nation had turned its back on God,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-mypillow-ceo-mike-lindell-goes-off-script-encourages-people-turn-to-god-read-bibles-during-trump-press-conference">Lindell said</a> during an address in the White House rose garden.
“I encourage you to use this time at home to get back in the word, read our Bibles, and spend time with our families,” he continued. “Our president gave us so much hope where, just a few short months ago, we had the best economy, the lowest unemployment, and wages going up. It was amazing. With our great president, vice president, and this administration, the other great people in this country, and praying daily, we will get through this and get back to a place that is stronger and safer than ever.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mypillow-ceo-mike-lendell-torches-critics-with-south-park-meme">RELATED: MyPillow CEO Mike Lendell Torches Critics With South Park Meme</a>

US-POLITICS-HEALTH-VIRUS-BRIEFING-TRUMP

WATCH: Anderson Cooper Calls MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell A ‘Snake Oil Salesman’

Anderson Cooper

COVID

Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, mocked leftist critics with a South Park meme on Monday after they erupted last week when Lindell praised God during a White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing and encouraged Americans to read their Bibles.
Lindell, who had already responded to the left-wing outrage after he made the remarks on March 30, continued to mock critics with a meme posted to his Twitter account last night.
The meme features a screenshot from South Park episode &#8220;Molestation Demonstration&#8221; &#8212; which is the first episode of season 10 &#8212; of a detective using a doll to ask a classroom full of students if a school employee had inappropriately touched them.
The meme that Lindell tweeted out stated: &#8220;Show me on this doll where the MyPillow CEO hurt you by mentioning God and the Bible.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://t.co/W1wgZvFAcF">pic.twitter.com/W1wgZvFAcF</a>
&mdash; Mike Lindell (@realMikeLindell) <a href="https://twitter.com/realMikeLindell/status/1247361987828314112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Left-wing critics exploded last week after Lindell said the following during the press conference:
<blockquote>God gave us grace on November 8th, 2016, to change the course we were on.  God had been taken out of our schools and lives.  A nation had turned its back on God.  And I encourage you: Use this time at home to get — home to get back in the Word, read our Bibles, and spend time with our families.
Our President gave us so much hope where, just a few short months ago, we had the best economy, the lowest unemployment, and wages going up.  It was amazing.  With our great President, Vice President, and this administration and all the great people in this country praying daily, we will get through this and get back to a place that’s stronger and safer than ever.</blockquote>
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-honors-my-pillow-exec-for-shifting-production-to-facemasks-media-whine-that-he-praises-trump-god">highlighted</a> some of the remarks that left-wing critics made in response to Lindell&#8217;s remarks:
<ul>
<li>Vox’s Aaron Rupar tweeted, “The My Pillow guy Mike Lindell says this: ‘God gave us grace on November 8, 2016, to change the course we were on. God had been taken out of our schools &amp; lives, a nation had turned its back on God. I encourage you to use this time at home to get back in the word. Read our Bible.&#8217;”</li>
<li>CNN executive editor Ram Ramgopal: “In case you were wondering what My Pillow is doing in a time of coronavirus.”</li>
<li>Ali Velshi of MSNBC: “Trump just called the ‘My Pillow’ guy up to the podium in the Rose Garden. You cannot make this stuff up.”</li>
<li>Newsweek columnist Seth Abramson: “Dear Trumpists, *this* is why media doesn’t want to cover your God-Emperor’s coronavirus rallies: because the g*ddamned My Pillow CEO was holding forth from the lectern on a day that 500+ Americans died and 20,000+ got sick from the virus the briefing was *intended* to focus on.”</li>
<li>Scott Dworkin, Deputy Director for the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee and the 2012 Democratic National Convention: “Now Trump is having the My Pillow guy speak. This is absurd. #StopAiring Trump.”</li>
<li>MSNBC’s Joy Reid: “Not a prank. Ok perfect. Everything is fine.”</li>
<li>Sam Stein of the Daily Beast and MSNBC: “I’m a proponent of TV carrying Trump’s presser. But allowing corporations to use them as advertising platforms seems like the exact opposite of news.”</li>
</ul>

Key Speakers At The Conservative Political Action Conference

MyPillow CEO Mike Lendell Torches Critics With South Park Meme

Religion

Though some deny it, many harbor a strong hostility toward Christians in our society, especially those who obediently wear their faith on their sleeves.
You know what they find worse than an outspoken evangelical Christian? An outspoken evangelical Christian who&#8217;s also an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump. Talk about a perfect storm of contemptibility!
Mike Lindell, owner of MyPillow, and the Rev. Franklin Graham fall squarely into this category. Both are Christians. Both support Donald Trump. Both speak out about both.
The critics&#8217; refusal to withhold their criticism during the dreadful coronavirus crisis shows the intensity of their antipathy.
Lindell was among the CEOs Trump invited to speak at his daily coronavirus press briefing on March 30. Lindell announced he would convert 75% of his manufacturing operation to produce cotton facemasks, aiming to make up to 50,000 a day by Friday.
Like so many of his fellow business leaders who are recalibrating their companies to assist the nation in crisis, Lindell praised Trump for his leadership, but he went a step further. &#8220;God gave us grace on Nov. 8, 2016, to change the course we were on,&#8221; said Lindell. &#8220;God had been taken out of our schools and lives. A nation had turned its back on God. And I encourage you: Use this time at home to get &#8230; back in the Word, read our Bibles and spend time with our families.&#8221;
The mainstream media could not let this stand. &#8220;Trump just called the &#8216;My Pillow&#8217; guy up to the podium in the Rose Garden. You cannot make this stuff up,&#8221; said MSNBC anchor Ali Velshi.
&#8220;The &#8216;My Pillow Guy&#8217; was at the Corona Virus briefing today?&#8221; tweeted Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown. &#8220;Boy oh boy, do we need SNL this Saturday. If this had been a SNL skit we would have thought it was fake, right? You can&#8217;t make this s—- up. Who is going to play the &#8216;my pillow guy&#8217;?&#8221;
&#8220;Look, it&#8217;s hard to fill up 90 minutes worth of material every single day, so you need to get some sponsored materials/infomercials,&#8221; said New York Magazine writer Jonathan Chait.
&#8220;Trump now has the guy from My Pillow doing a campaign commercial for Trump&#8217;s 2020 campaign in the middle of a press conference about a deadly virus,&#8221; said Daily Beast and CNN opinion columnist Dean Obeidallah. &#8220;How can any real news network air this BS?! #StopAiringTrump.&#8221;
These mockers didn&#8217;t go after any of the other business leaders on the stage that day. I understand that some find it distasteful to say God directed Trump&#8217;s election, but should that blind them to the service Lindell is performing? Does Lindell&#8217;s vocal Christianity so thoroughly repulse them that they would reject his contribution if they could? It seems so, based on their reaction. That&#8217;s how you know it&#8217;s hatred — that they would forgo his life-saving works because of his beliefs.
The critics were even more disturbed by Franklin Graham, whose charitable relief organization, Samaritan&#8217;s Purse, set up a temporary hospital in New York City&#8217;s Central Park for coronavirus victims.
&#8220;Franklin Graham has a long history of spewing anti-LGBTQ hate speech, and I find it extremely troubling that he and his organization are involved in our relief efforts in any way,&#8221; New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson tweeted.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a shame that the federal government has left New York with no other choice but to accept charity from bigots,&#8221; tweeted New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman, who also called Graham a &#8220;notorious anti-LGBTQ pastor&#8221; on his official Senate page.
It&#8217;s alarming that some are so enslaved by their prejudices that they would condemn or even refuse critical humanitarian aid. It&#8217;s hard to wrap your mind around that.
But I will say that this crisis is also bringing out a spirit of grace in others, who strongly denounced the bigotry coming from those protesting Graham&#8217;s alleged bigotry. The Blaze quoted many who were critical of these graceless New York officials. &#8220;Now we can all really see where the actual hate comes from,&#8221; said one. Another said: &#8220;As a gay New Yorker, I&#8217;d like to sit down with them over a cup of coffee and thank them for putting themselves in harm&#8217;s way. That&#8217;s how change of heart happens. They are risking their lives. We should be grateful.&#8221;
Franklin Graham&#8217;s response hit the right balance. &#8220;We do not make distinctions about an individual&#8217;s religion, race, sexual orientation, or economic status. We certainly do not discriminate, and we have a decades-long track record that confirms just that,&#8221; said Graham. &#8220;This is a time for all of us to unite and work together, regardless of our political views. Let&#8217;s support one another during this crisis, and we pray that God will bless the efforts of all those battling this vicious virus.&#8221;
Amen, Pastor Graham. Amen.
Let&#8217;s be aware of the regrettable negativity during these trying times, but let&#8217;s focus on — and rejoice in — the goodness dwarfing it. Americans are a gracious people.
David Limbaugh is a writer, author and attorney. His latest book is &#8220;Guilty by Reason of Insanity: Why the Democrats Must Not Win.&#8221; Follow him on Twitter @davidlimbaugh and his website at www.davidlimbaugh.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

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