MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell Says Bed Bath And Beyond, Kohl's To Drop His Products; Dominion Voting Systems Threatens To Sue
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell said in an interview Saturday that Bed Bath & Beyond and Kohl's are among the retailers that will stop selling his products due to his continued support of conspiracy theories related to President Donald Trump's election loss.
Lindell, whose company is based in Chaska, Minnesota, made the announcement while talking with conservative commentator Brian Glenn on the Right Side Broadcasting Network.
"I just got off the phone with Bed Bath & Beyond. They're dropping MyPillow. Just got off the phone not five minutes ago. Kohl's, all these different places," Lindell said. "These [companies], they're scared, like a Bed Bath & Beyond, they're scared. They were good partners. In fact, I told them, 'You guys come back anytime you want.'"
Both companies confirmed the decision to cease carrying the brand Tuesday, but cited flagging sales rather than Lindell's actions or his support for Trump.
"There has been decreased customer demand for MyPillow," Kohl's said in an email.
Lindell has continued to push bogus claims of election fraud since Trump's loss to President-elect Joe Biden in the presidential race. MyPillow's logo was also prominently featured on TrumpMarch.com, a website that promoted the Jan. 6 events in Washington, in which rioters stormed the Capitol.
That has led people to flock to social media and put pressure on stores carrying MyPillow to drop the brand. Lindell said products have also been pulled from online furniture store Wayfair and Texas supermarket chain HEB. Neither company responded to a request for comment.
"They're succumbing to the pressure from these attacks," Lindell said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'm one of their best-selling products ever. They're going to lose out. It's their loss if they want to succumb to the pressure."
Lindell said he doesn't regret his election claims or his support of Trump, who he said he first met in 2016.
"I stand for what's right," said Lindell, who created the MyPillow in 2004. "I'm standing firm."
Dominion Voting Systems is also threatening to sue Lindell for slander. Dominion sent legal letters to Lindell in December and early January over his false and conspiratorial claims about the machines being "rigged" or influencing the results of the U.S. Presidential election.
Dominion has sent letters to others, including Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani. They accused Lindell of being a prominent leader in the "ongoing misinformation campaign."
Lindell is asked to cease and desist making defamatory claims against Dominion, and to "preserve and retain all documents relating to Dominion and your smear campaign against the company."
"With this letter, Dominion renews its demand that you retract your defamatory accusations immediately and issue a public apology for damaging Dominion's reputation with completely fabricated claims of fraud and corruption," Dominion said in a follow-up letter. "Dominion has been forced to expend substantial monetary sums to protect the health and safety of its employees following innumerable death threats from the social media mob that your statements have agitated against Dominion. And your misrepresentations have required the company to incur substantial attorneys' fees and to mitigate the damage you have inflicted upon Dominion's reputation."
Dominion continues:
"Our last letter informed you that Dominion was prepared to initiate legal action to set the record straight and vindicate its reputation. This morning Dominion filed a defamation lawsuit against Sidney Powell. We are sending you hardcopies of the complaint6 and exhibits under separate cover so that there is absolutely no doubt at a future date about what was known to you at this juncture."
In a CBS News interview late Monday, Lindell said he would welcome the lawsuit.
"I want them to sue me. Please. Because I have all the evidence, 100%. I want all the American people and the world to see the horrific things that these (Dominion voting) machines are capable of and what they did to our country and what — they're allowing other countries to steal our election and just to hijack our election," Lindell said.
UPDATE: 'I Want Them To Sue Me': Lindell Says Lawsuit Would Show Election Was Rigged
Lindell was spotted at the White House Friday. The Republican donor, who has informally advised President Donald Trump, was seen leaving the West Wing carrying pages of notes that appear to outline a series of recommendations. Among those that are visible are the words, "Move Kash Patel to CIA acting" a reference to the current chief of staff to acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller.
Lindell confirmed to CNN's Jim Acosta that he did meet with Trump for about five minutes on Friday and said he had tried to hand the President what he described as evidence of voter fraud. Acosta conducted a brief interview with Lindell, who did not substantiate any of his claims but merely repeated some of the same false conspiracy theories spouted by Trump since the election.
RELATED: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell Visits President Trump Friday, Note Caught On Camera
Lindell said Trump had told him to turn over his material to lawyers working at the White House, who would look into it.
Asked whether he believes Democrat Joe Biden won the presidential election, Lindell said no.
"No, he didn't win the election, because I've seen it," Lindell said.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. CNN and the Associated Press contributed to this report.)