(NationalUSNews.com) — Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, has called for the United States Supreme Court to weigh in on his ongoing dispute with the FBI, which saw the bureau confiscate his phone and refuse to return it.
The FBI took Lindell’s phone away from him while he went through a fast-food restaurant drive-thru as part of an ongoing investigation into the disgraced CEO and his alleged involvement in an election denial conspiracy. While Lindell is a person of interest in the conspiracy case, he isn’t the FBI’s primary target. Lindell called for the FBI to return his phone after the initial confiscation, but more than 18 months have passed, with the FBI refusing to return Lindell’s property.
Lindell eventually decided to petition a federal court, which denied the requested relief, ultimately resulting in the CEO appealing his petition to the Supreme Court of the United States, hoping the judicial body would protect his property rights and have his phone returned. Instead, the Supreme Court declined to consider Lindell’s legal battle and did not explain the denial in depth. Lindell’s petition accused the FBI and the federal government of violating his constitutional rights due to his outspoken belief that the 2020 presidential election wasn’t valid. Lindell expressly referred to the controversial computer voting machines used during the election, claiming that other parties could manipulate the data collected from those machines.
Lindell quickly faced legal repercussions following the 2020 presidential election scandal, including multiple lawsuits and an ongoing federal criminal case. The FBI believes Lindell might’ve engaged in a conspiracy to deny the 2020 election results and overturn the contested election in former President Donald Trump’s favor. Lindell believes the various legal battles against him are retaliation for his outspoken opposition to President Biden’s administration and his claims that Biden is an illegitimate president. Lindell also directly accused the White House of ignoring his constitutional rights to retaliate against his controversial beliefs.
Lindell’s petition featured two requests, both denied due to their “overbroad” nature. Lindell asked the court to file an injunction against the government, preventing federal authorities from accessing his data or using it against him in a future criminal case. The federal court denied the injunction request and cited Lindell’s request for an injunction as a transparent attempt to delay criminal litigation. Lindell also asked to have his phone returned, but the court denied the request as Lindell’s phone could hold necessary information for the FBI’s ongoing investigation.
The Supreme Court allowed the White House to respond to Lindell’s petition, but President Biden’s staff declined to answer. According to the appellate court Lindell initially petitioned, Lindell’s frustrations regarding his property’s confiscation aren’t invalid but don’t violate his constitutional rights.
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