Mike Lindell trashes Fox News’ “dirty deal with Dominion,” says he won’t settle with anyone
Lindell suggests “something went on” with Fox’s settlement since “they did nothing wrong,” and “this is all timed” as “a big distraction”
Written by Bobby Lewis
Published
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell denounced Fox News’ settlement with Dominion Voting Systems as a “dirty deal” that “doesn't even make sense,” promising that he won’t settle any litigation against him. Lindell also hinted at a possible conspiracy, suggesting that “there’s some kind of strange things behind” Fox’s decision to pay a settlement, since “they did nothing wrong.”
In addition to being sued by Dominion himself, Lindell made a notable appearance in the company’s case against Fox. Dominion argued that Fox knew Lindell would spread conspiracy theories about Dominion when the network invited him on in January 2021, which Lindell did, and later said he “had to” do. A Fox attorney argued that Lindell’s segment was not defamatory since a “reasonable viewer would be puzzled on anything he is talking about.”
Lindell and Fox’s entwined legal issues are not yet over; both parties are still facing a defamation suit from Smartmatic. Lindell also remains a major Fox advertiser, despite the ups and downs of his relationship with the network.
While discussing Fox’s settlement on April 18, Lindell bizarrely promised that even if Dominion paid him to settle, he would decline. “Even if Dominion or Smartmatic or any of them offered me a billion dollars, I would say no. Your machines are going to go bye-bye.”
“Fox News, whatever they did,” Lindell continued, “they chose to take a different direction and make a dirty deal with Dominion.” Lindell acknowledged the damning evidence showing that Fox personalities did not believe the Dominion allegations but aired them anyway, but Lindell claimed that “it was journalism.”
After defending the network’s coverage, the pro-Trump pillow salesman began to question why Fox would settle a highly embarrassing lawsuit which it was preparing to lose.
“This little settlement that Fox did, do I think that there’s some kind of strange things behind that?” Lindell asked, with an obvious answer. “A company that called Arizona early, that never reached out to me for any evidence, you know, and then they make this settlement over here.”
“I think there’s more coming,” he said.
Lindell continued, “It’s just very strange that you don't take the route that, hey, let’s see if there was evidence, let’s see the evidence, and instead of just playing lawfare and then you don't even ever talk or even have anybody on about things that are going on right now, currently.”
“There’s something went on,” Lindell later said, because “it doesn’t even make sense, they did nothing wrong. They did nothing wrong other than Smartmatic, remember, sued Fox on February 4th of 2021. Where's that lawsuit?”
That lawsuit is in fact proceeding, but Lindell seemingly blamed the Smartmatic litigation for getting Fox to silence election conspiracy theories. (It actually didn’t.)
“Does everyone remember what came February 5th? Absolute Proof,” he bellowed, referencing one of his several movies purporting to prove that China stole the 2020 election. “And from February 4th on, not one person has been able to go on Fox News and talk about any — not just the machines, but talk about the elections, period.”
Part of Lindell’s issue with Fox is the frustration that it won’t take his calls anymore, just his ads.
“It’s a big distraction,” Lindell concluded of the settlement. “This is all timed. It’s almost like, it’s like, what? You make a deal, a dirty deal with Dominion, and give them money? For what?” he yelled. “The public isn’t — doesn’t buy it,” he said, before suggesting that this is all somehow an attempt to silence him personally.
“What do they think, the public’s going to go, ‘Why, I wonder, I’ll bet Mike Lindell now, he’ll finally back down on get rid of these machines, you know, maybe he’ll quit badmouthing them.’ Not. They’re done. We’re done. And we’re winning.”
Unfortunately for Lindell, one thing he did not win this week was a decision from an arbitration panel that ordered him to “shell out $5 million to an expert who debunked his data related to the 2020 election.”