MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, an outspoken election denier, is one of a few Republicans getting subpoenaed in an ongoing defamation case against former GOP gubernatorial candidate (and current Senate hopeful) Kari Lake.
The case was brought against Lake by Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, who assists the county with elections planning.
He argues that Lake’s claims that he helped “sabotage” the 2022 election — in which Lake lost the governor’s race to Democrat Katie Hobbs — led to death threats against him, while she fundraised off of them.
Lake’s attorneys originally argued the statements were just jokes, but then Lake defaulted in the case — losing the right to defend herself, and from a legal perspective, conceding.
Lindell is an avid supporter of former President Donald Trump and has also pushed unfounded conspiracy theories about election results, including Trump’s loss in 2020.
Court documents show Richer is requesting information on Lake’s social media engagement as he determines what to ask for in damages.
Richer wants metrics on how many people Lake reached by speaking about him on Lindell’s podcast.
Also being subpoenaed is podcaster Michael Krechmer, known as Michael Malice. Krechmer describes himself as an anarchist.
Richer’s attorneys wrote in an email in May that they also intend to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. for podcast data.
Richer’s attorneys said in an email they also intend to subpoena a host of individuals: Colton Duncan, Lisa Dale, Youssef Khalaf, Caroline Wren, Nicholas Moore, Merissa Hamilton, and Samuel Stone. They say those people are “employed by, advise or are otherwise affiliated with Lake, Halperin, Kari Lake for Arizona, or the Save Arizona Fund.”
Jeff Halperin is Lake’s husband.
The Save Arizona Fund is a nonprofit which has fundraised for Lake.
Halperin, Kari Lake for Arizona and Save Arizona Fund are co-defendants in the case.
“We have and continue to abide by our discovery obligations and hope that the defendants will do the same,” Richer’s attorney Cameron Mistler said in a statement.
Richer’s attorneys have argued multiple times to the court that Lake’s attorneys are uncooperative and reluctant to hand over requested information.
“Their production does not include even a single email or text to or from Lake, Halperin, or anyone working for the entity Defendants,” Richer’s attorneys stateded on July 8.
Lake’s attorney Dennis Wilenchik said Friday that Richer’s case is “bogus.”
“He chooses with his 15 [attorneys] he is no doubt not paying for to try to blame Kari Lake for his woes to tie her up and waste her time and divert her from her campaign for Senate, which is his real goal and that of his supporters whoever they are and wherever they come from,” Wilenchik said in an email.
Grassroots activist Hamilton, who is among those being subpoenaed, has been reported as the executive director of the Save Arizona Fund.
Hamilton says she has more than 100,000 pages of documents and she demands that Richer pay her more than $30,000 for them before she turns them over. She argued the cost comes from her labor and the price of 25 cents per page.
“The effort was a considerable hardship and I must be paid these costs BEFORE YOU TAKE CUSTODY OF THE DOCUMENTS,” Hamilton wrote to Richer’s attorney in an email.
Richer’s attorneys refused to pay that, saying she could have just emailed the documents. They are asking the court to tell Hamilton she won’t get that much from Richer, and she needs to email the records over.
