Latest news with #MyPillow
Int'l Business Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Hegseth Sparks Backlash After Insisting Trump's Iran Strike Was the 'Most Complex Military Operation in History': 'Not By a Long Shot'
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is being ridiculed by social media users after declaring that the Trump administration strike on three Iranian nuclear facilities was one of the most complex military operations in US history. Hegseth appeared before reporters at a press conference at the Pentagon on Thursday, in which he discussed the US attack on Iran's nuclear sites. "Let me read the bottom line here. President Trump directed the most complex and secretive military operation in history, and it was a resounding success resulting in a ceasefire agreement and the end of the 12 day war," Hegseth said. Social media users quickly took to online platforms to mock the Defense Secretary for his assertion. "Ah yes, the most 'secretive military operation' in history – so secret it was announced on Fox News with more theatrics than a WWE cage match. Pete looks like he's auditioning to play Patton in a school play sponsored by MyPillow," joked one user. "Nah, Ukraine planning and orchestrating the destruction of Russian bombers was far more impressive," added another. "I love our military, but this bombing run was NOT the most complex military operation in history. Not by a long shot," a third stated. "Both Dunkirk and Normandy have objections to that statement," commented a fourth. "Didn't they say Iran knew they were coming?" noted another. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated Thursday that the impact of the US attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities was grossly overstated by the Trump administration, who claimed the strikes "completely and fully obliterated Iran's nuclear program". "They could not achieve anything significant," he said. He continued to state that the only reason the US attacked Iran was because "it felt that if it did not intervene, the Zionist regime would be utterly destroyed." "It entered the war to save them, yet it gained nothing," he said. Originally published on Latin Times
18-06-2025
- Politics
Jury finds leading proponent of 'The Big Lie' defamed former voting equipment employee
DENVER -- A jury found Monday that MyPillow founder Mike Lindell defamed a former employee of a prominent voting equipment company by calling him a traitor, telling Lindell and his online media platform to pay $2.3 million in damages. The decision came after a two-week trial involving one of the biggest proponents of the myth that the 2020 election was stolen, a lie that still dominates national politics. Other such cases have ended in settlements before they could go before a jury. The jury found that Lindell made two defamatory statements about Eric Coomer, the former product strategy and security director for Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems. On May 9, 2021, Lindell attacked voting machine companies and then said Coomer was a traitor. That statement came a day after Newsmax apologized to Coomer for airing false allegations against him. Lindell testified that he was upset because he thought Coomer had made a deal to prevent him from appearing on Newsmax to talk about voting machines. However, ahead of the trial, lawyers for both sides agreed that the settlement agreement between Coomer and Newsmax did not mention Lindell. The other statement came on April 6, 2022, a day after Lindell was served with Coomer's lawsuit as he was about to appear at an event at the Colorado state Capitol. Lindell accused Coomer of being 'part of the biggest crime this world has ever seen.' The jury also found Lindell's online media platform, Frankspeech, had defamed Coomer because of comments made by someone appearing at an election fraud symposium streamed on Frankspeech in 2021. The jury cleared Lindell of defaming Coomer eight other times for statements made by both himself and others who appeared on Frankspeech. In an appearance on his new online media platform, Lindell TV, on a show hosted by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani right after the verdict, Lindell stressed that MyPillow, which promoted the 2021 symposium, was not found liable for any of the defamatory statements. Later Lindell told reporters that he would continue to speak out about voting machines. On Tuesday, Lindell's legal defense told supporters in an email that he had stood up for the First Amendment — echoing his defense team's approach — and was 'largely victorious' in the case. 'Mike Lindell stood alone — refusing to pay hush money and refusing to apologize for voicing concerns shared by millions of Americans,' it said. One of Coomer's attorneys, David Beller, said Lindell hurt not only Coomer but the democratic process. He thinks the jury's decision will help repair that damage. 'This verdict allows the county to heal, though undoubtedly with scars money cannot hide,' he said. Defamatory statements are comments that harm someone's reputation. Because Lindell's statements involved a matter of public concern — elections — jurors had to find that Lindell knew they were false or didn't bother to check out whether they were true or not. A 1964 ruling known as New York Times v. Sullivan and related cases set that higher legal bar for things said about public figures or matters. Truth is a defense against defamation. Lindell could have offered proof of his claims in order to defend himself at the trial but didn't. 'We met the highest constitutional standard under the First Amendment and that occurred in large part because Mr. Lindell claimed he had evidence of voter fraud by Dr. Coomer when he had none," said Charles Cain, another lawyer who represented Coomer. Coomer has another lawsuit pending in Colorado involving a podcaster who said he had heard Coomer promise to rig the 2020 election in an alleged antifa conference call, an account that was also later shared at Lindell's symposium. He also is suing former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne in Florida. Salem Media Group, a Christian and conservative media company whose hosts had interviewed the podcaster about his account, said in statement on its website that it apologizes for the harm caused to Coomer and his family and that all statements about the allegations have been removed from its website. The company did not immediately respond to questions about when the apology was posted and why. Lindell has become one of the most enthusiastic proponents of what has been dubbed 'The Big Lie'— the idea that fraud cost Trump the 2020 election. The reason this has taken hold of a significant chunk of the country, despite being repeatedly disproved, is that its main proponent is the president himself. Trump has continued to insist that a murky conspiracy deprived him of a victory in 2020, even after he won an election with the same procedures this past November. There is no evidence of anything amiss with the 2020 election. Trump's then- attorney general said there was no indication of wide-scale fraud. That is the same conclusion of numerous recounts, audits and investigations — including multiple ones run by Republicans. Trump and his allies lost more than 50 court cases trying to overturn the election. Still, Trump famously never likes to admit he lost even when he did. In 2016, Trump claimed that fraud was why he lost the Iowa caucuses. Despite winning the 2016 presidential election in the Electoral College, Trump claimed fraud cost him the popular vote in that election. And he has embraced those who helped spread his lies about 2020 — Trump pardoned more than 1,000 people convicted of their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to keep Trump in office. He has met with Lindell in the Oval Office.
San Francisco Chronicle
17-06-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Jury finds leading proponent of 'The Big Lie' defamed former voting equipment employee
DENVER (AP) — A jury found Monday that MyPillow founder Mike Lindell defamed a former employee of a prominent voting equipment company by calling him a traitor, telling Lindell and his online media platform to pay $2.3 million in damages. The decision came after a two-week trial involving one of the biggest proponents of the myth that the 2020 election was stolen, a lie that still dominates national politics. Other such cases have ended in settlements before they could go before a jury. What happened? The jury found that Lindell made two defamatory statements about Eric Coomer, the former product strategy and security director for Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems. On May 9, 2021, Lindell attacked voting machine companies and then said Coomer was a traitor. That statement came a day after Newsmax apologized to Coomer for airing false allegations against him. Lindell testified that he was upset because he thought Coomer had made a deal to prevent him from appearing on Newsmax to talk about voting machines. However, ahead of the trial, lawyers for both sides agreed that the settlement agreement between Coomer and Newsmax did not mention Lindell. The other statement came on April 6, 2022, a day after Lindell was served with Coomer's lawsuit as he was about to appear at an event at the Colorado state Capitol. Lindell accused Coomer of being 'part of the biggest crime this world has ever seen.' The jury also found Lindell's online media platform, Frankspeech, had defamed Coomer because of comments made by someone appearing at an election fraud symposium streamed on Frankspeech in 2021. The jury cleared Lindell of defaming Coomer eight other times for statements made by both himself and others who appeared on Frankspeech. What has been the reaction? In an appearance on his new online media platform, Lindell TV, on a show hosted by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani right after the verdict, Lindell stressed that MyPillow, which promoted the 2021 symposium, was not found liable for any of the defamatory statements. Later Lindell told reporters that he would continue to speak out about voting machines. On Tuesday, Lindell's legal defense told supporters in an email that he had stood up for the First Amendment — echoing his defense team's approach — and was 'largely victorious' in the case. 'Mike Lindell stood alone — refusing to pay hush money and refusing to apologize for voicing concerns shared by millions of Americans,' it said. One of Coomer's attorneys, David Beller, said Lindell hurt not only Coomer but the democratic process. He thinks the jury's decision will help repair that damage. 'This verdict allows the county to heal, though undoubtedly with scars money cannot hide,' he said. What is defamation? Defamatory statements are comments that harm someone's reputation. Because Lindell's statements involved a matter of public concern — elections — jurors had to find that Lindell knew they were false or didn't bother to check out whether they were true or not. A 1964 ruling known as New York Times v. Sullivan and related cases set that higher legal bar for things said about public figures or matters. Truth is a defense against defamation. Lindell could have offered proof of his claims in order to defend himself at the trial but didn't. 'We met the highest constitutional standard under the First Amendment and that occurred in large part because Mr. Lindell claimed he had evidence of voter fraud by Dr. Coomer when he had none," said Charles Cain, another lawyer who represented Coomer. Other cases and an apology Coomer has another lawsuit pending in Colorado involving a podcaster who said he had heard Coomer promise to rig the 2020 election in an alleged antifa conference call, an account that was also later shared at Lindell's symposium. He also is suing former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne in Florida. Salem Media Group, a Christian and conservative media company whose hosts had interviewed the podcaster about his account, said in statement on its website that it apologizes for the harm caused to Coomer and his family and that all statements about the allegations have been removed from its website. The company did not immediately respond to questions about when the apology was posted and why. 'The Big Lie' has taken hold of a chunk of the country Lindell has become one of the most enthusiastic proponents of what has been dubbed 'The Big Lie'— the idea that fraud cost Trump the 2020 election. The reason this has taken hold of a significant chunk of the country, despite being repeatedly disproved, is that its main proponent is the president himself. Trump has continued to insist that a murky conspiracy deprived him of a victory in 2020, even after he won an election with the same procedures this past November. There is no evidence of anything amiss with the 2020 election. Trump's then- attorney general said there was no indication of wide-scale fraud. That is the same conclusion of numerous recounts, audits andinvestigations — includingmultiple onesrun by Republicans. Trump and his allies lost more than 50 court cases trying to overturn the election. Still, Trump famously never likes to admit he lost even when he did. In 2016, Trump claimed that fraud was why he lost the Iowa caucuses. Despite winning the 2016 presidential election in the Electoral College, Trump claimed fraud cost him the popular vote in that election. And he has embraced those who helped spread his lies about 2020 — Trump pardoned more than 1,000 people convicted of their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to keep Trump in office. He has met with Lindell in the Oval Office.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mike Lindell verdict: MyPillow founder defamed former voting equipment company boss
A federal jury has found MyPillow founder Mike Lindell liable for defaming a former Colorado voting system executive after the 2020 presidential election. The Denver-based jury determined on June 16 that Lindell made "baseless conspiracy theories claiming election fraud in the 2020 election" and slandered Eric Coomer, a former director at Dominion Voting Systems, a North American company that makes and sells voting machines and tabulators. Coomer filed the suit in the District of Colorado in May 2022, claiming Lindell and two of his companies − MyPillow and FrankSpeech − helped spread a conspiracy theory that he rigged the election against President Donald Trump. More: Why is Mike Lindell in court? MyPillow CEO on trial for defamation lawsuit According to the 67-page suit obtained by USA TODAY, Lindell previously called Coomer "a traitor." The trial started on June 2 and lasted two weeks, online court records show. 'We're thrilled with the verdict,' said Coomer's attorney, Charles Caine, told Colorado Public Radio (CPR), after the jury handed down its decision, adding his client has "gone through a lot and he's still going to be looking over his shoulder... Hopefully this serves as deterrence for individuals working on our elections from being targeted." USA TODAY has reached out to Caine as well as Lindell's attorneys. Lindell, 63, has publicly defended his claims that the 2020 election was rigged. "They're coming after me and MyPillow for telling the truth about our elections!" Lindell wrote on May 31 on Facebook. After the verdict, Lindell was ordered to pay nearly $2.3 million in damages, CPR reported, a number nowhere near the award amount Coomer had requested ($62.7 million). Jurors, the outlet said, rejected claims Lindell and his two companies were responsible for comments made by others on social media platforms he controlled. According to court documents, Lindell aligned himself with podcaster Joseph Oltmann to spread a conspiracy theory he was involved in rigging voting systems during the 2020 election. Lindell spread a claim that originated from Oltmann, who is alleged to have made up a story about overhearing someone identified only as 'Eric, the Dominion guy' claiming to have rigged the election against Trump. Oltmann disclosed the alleged claims on an episode of his podcast, which aired after former President Joe Biden's victory in November 2020, according to the lawsuit. The podcaster also said he infiltrated the conference call for a left-wing political group, which is where "Eric" made the claims on an unspecified date months before the election, the complaint says. Lindell amplified the claim online, jurors found, causing threats against Coomer, whom Oltmann later identified as the anonymous 'Eric." Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Lindell found liable for defaming former voting system executive
The Independent
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Jury finds leading proponent of 'The Big Lie' defamed former voting equipment employee
A jury found Monday that MyPillow founder Mike Lindell defamed a former employee of a prominent voting equipment company by calling him a traitor, telling Lindell and his online media platform to pay $2.3 million in damages. The decision came after a two-week trial involving one of the biggest proponents of the myth that the 2020 election was stolen, a lie that still dominates national politics. Other such cases have ended in settlements before they could go before a jury. What happened? The jury found that Lindell made two defamatory statements about Eric Coomer, the former product strategy and security director for Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems. On May 9, 2021, Lindell attacked voting machine companies and then said Coomer was a traitor. That statement came a day after Newsmax apologized to Coomer for airing false allegations against him. Lindell testified that he was upset because he thought Coomer had made a deal to prevent him from appearing on Newsmax to talk about voting machines. However, ahead of the trial, lawyers for both sides agreed that the settlement agreement between Coomer and Newsmax did not mention Lindell. The other statement came on April 6, 2022, a day after Lindell was served with Coomer's lawsuit as he was about to appear at an event at the Colorado state Capitol. Lindell accused Coomer of being 'part of the biggest crime this world has ever seen.' The jury also found Lindell's online media platform, Frankspeech, had defamed Coomer because of comments made by someone appearing at an election fraud symposium streamed on Frankspeech in 2021. The jury cleared Lindell of defaming Coomer eight other times for statements made by both himself and others who appeared on Frankspeech. What has been the reaction? In an appearance on his new online media platform, Lindell TV, on a show hosted by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani right after the verdict, Lindell stressed that MyPillow, which promoted the 2021 symposium, was not found liable for any of the defamatory statements. Later Lindell told reporters that he would continue to speak out about voting machines. On Tuesday, Lindell's legal defense told supporters in an email that he had stood up for the First Amendment — echoing his defense team's approach — and was 'largely victorious' in the case. 'Mike Lindell stood alone — refusing to pay hush money and refusing to apologize for voicing concerns shared by millions of Americans,' it said. One of Coomer's attorneys, David Beller, said Lindell hurt not only Coomer but the democratic process. He thinks the jury's decision will help repair that damage. 'This verdict allows the county to heal, though undoubtedly with scars money cannot hide,' he said. What is defamation? Defamatory statements are comments that harm someone's reputation. Because Lindell's statements involved a matter of public concern — elections — jurors had to find that Lindell knew they were false or didn't bother to check out whether they were true or not. A 1964 ruling known as New York Times v. Sullivan and related cases set that higher legal bar for things said about public figures or matters. Truth is a defense against defamation. Lindell could have offered proof of his claims in order to defend himself at the trial but didn't. 'We met the highest constitutional standard under the First Amendment and that occurred in large part because Mr. Lindell claimed he had evidence of voter fraud by Dr. Coomer when he had none," said Charles Cain, another lawyer who represented Coomer. Other cases and an apology Coomer has another lawsuit pending in Colorado involving a podcaster who said he had heard Coomer promise to rig the 2020 election in an alleged antifa conference call, an account that was also later shared at Lindell's symposium. He also is suing former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne in Florida. Salem Media Group, a Christian and conservative media company whose hosts had interviewed the podcaster about his account, said in statement on its website that it apologizes for the harm caused to Coomer and his family and that all statements about the allegations have been removed from its website. The company did not immediately respond to questions about when the apology was posted and why. 'The Big Lie' has taken hold of a chunk of the country Lindell has become one of the most enthusiastic proponents of what has been dubbed 'The Big Lie'— the idea that fraud cost Trump the 2020 election. The reason this has taken hold of a significant chunk of the country, despite being repeatedly disproved, is that its main proponent is the president himself. Trump has continued to insist that a murky conspiracy deprived him of a victory in 2020, even after he won an election with the same procedures this past November. There is no evidence of anything amiss with the 2020 election. Trump's then- attorney general said there was no indication of wide-scale fraud. That is the same conclusion of numerous recounts, audits andinvestigations — includingmultiple onesrun by Republicans. Trump and his allies lost more than 50 court cases trying to overturn the election. Still, Trump famously never likes to admit he lost even when he did. In 2016, Trump claimed that fraud was why he lost the Iowa caucuses. Despite winning the 2016 presidential election in the Electoral College, Trump claimed fraud cost him the popular vote in that election. And he has embraced those who helped spread his lies about 2020 — Trump pardoned more than 1,000 people convicted of their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to keep Trump in office. He has met with Lindell in the Oval Office.
