Famed pillow salesman and election conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell lost yet another case in court after a judge shut down his attempt to get back his cell phone that was seized by FBI agents, Politico reports.
In a 36-page decision, U.S. District Court Judge Eric Tostrud ruled Thursday that the Department of Justice had clearly justified the seizure as part of an investigation into the breach of Colorado voting systems following the 2020 election and denied Lindell’s bid to reclaim his cell phone and access the affidavit justifying the move.
“Premature disclosure of these materials would significantly undermine the Government’s ongoing criminal investigation, giving Plaintiffs (and potentially, other targets of the investigation) a window into the Government’s investigation that could compromise the investigation as a whole,” the judge wrote.
Tostrud described the 80-page affidavit as “extensive” and said it included the identities of confidential informants and cooperating witnesses, in addition to details about “recorded communications,” and said there was no practical way to provide a redacted version to the Trump ally.
“Against Plaintiffs’ unsupported allegations of constitutional violations and conclusory assertions of harm, the Government has a significant interest in effective law enforcement and prompt resolution of criminal matters,” Tostrud, a Donald Trump appointee based in St. Paul, Minnesota, ruled.
“These interests would be harmed significantly, and criminal investigations and proceedings would be delayed, if litigants were allowed to use civil litigation to collaterally attack ongoing criminal investigations and proceedings,” he concluded.
