Mike Lindell announced he donated up to $800,000 to the legal defense of Tina Peters, an embattled Mesa County clerk facing ethics woes and an indictment last month for alleged election equipment tampering and misconduct in Colorado.
The MyPillow CEO and significant booster of 2020 election fraud claims admitted to the donation during an “Election Truth Rally” at the Colorado Capitol alongside Peters on Tuesday, per the Colorado Sun.
“I probably put in three, four, or five, maybe $800,000, of my own money,” Lindell told reporters.
Peters, a Republican running to be secretary of state, has denied wrongdoing as she is being investigated by the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission in response to a complaint about the lack of transparency of her fund. Donations to political candidates in the state above the ethics guidelines are supposed to be reported to the state. Penalties for violations can vary depending on the situation.
COLORADO COUNTY CLERK TINA PETERS INDICTED IN ELECTION SECURITY BREACH INVESTIGATION
Peters is also facing an indictment for allegedly asking security to turn off the security cameras in the elections office and allowing a consultant to make an unauthorized copy of the vote-counting equipment hard drive last year. Passwords and material about Dominion Voting Systems machines leaked shortly thereafter, and authorities traced the leak back to Mesa County. Peters was indicted on 10 counts of misdemeanor and felony charges. The indictment is separate from the ethics inquiries into Peters.
In addition, Peters is being investigated by the ethics commission over whether she improperly accepted flights and hotel stays from Lindell, which could count as a gift that exceeds state limits, for when she attended his cyber symposium in South Dakota about the election last August. At the event Tuesday, Lindell said Peters “probably” traveled on his private jet.
“She came to the cyber symposium with the group from Colorado,” Lindell told reporters. “I picked people up — I invited all 50 states, all 50 states were represented.”
After the rally concluded, a man named Eric Coomer approached Lindell with a manila envelope, serving him a lawsuit for defamation, according to 9News reporter Marshall Zelinger.
And just before Mike Lindell makes his way to the State Capitol steps, he gets served with a lawsuit. Details to follow. #copolitics pic.twitter.com/Xn8HMD1vvp
— Marshall Zelinger (@Marshall9News) April 5, 2022
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During the rally, Lindell and Peters peddled claims that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump. Such claims have been roundly rejected by the courts and election officials around the country.
Petitions to recall Democrat Gov. Jared Polis circulated during the event, which featured appearances from state Republicans including Reps. Dave Williams, Mark Baisely, Ron Hanks, and Richard Holtorf, per the Colorado Sun.
“Have you heard them talk about the Big Lie,” Peters asked the crowd, according to Vice News reporter Elizabeth Landers. “They tried to find something … that’s why they raided my home.
