MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has changed his story about being "attacked" at his failed Sioux Falls, South Dakota "Cyber Symposium," which he'd used to elevate the "Big Lie" that the 2020 election was stolen.
Lindell had previously claimed that he was assaulted by a member of "Antifa." He now says the culprit was an aggressive selfie seeker who poked him really hard.
Lindell elaborated during an appearance on FlashPoint, a conservative program that runs on the social media platform Rumble.
You can watch the footage of his appearance below.
#MikeLindell explains the incident when somebody physically attacked him at his hotel.pic.twitter.com/upCDirdxzg— Agent Brandoe The PipeHitter (@Agent Brandoe The PipeHitter) 1628881740
Lindell said a man "came up out of nowhere" to ask for a photo after two other men had asked him for a picture.
It had been then when the unidentified man poked him in the armpit.
"He put his arm around and stuck his finger, it was so much pressure, I just knew if I did anything something more was coming."
"He jammed it in where it was just piercing pain."
Lindell claimed the incident left him "doubled over" in pain.
And he believed he was "set up," though he did not provide actual evidence to support that claim either.
"I think it was set up. Like if I had either fought back, they would have said, 'Oh, look at what Mike Lindell does with pictures,' or if I had turned, there is something else he might have done."
"It was so bad. I can still feel it now. The police came and they, um, you know."
"And I was like, and then I'm thinking, and then, and then someone knocks on my window this morning as I'm leaving and it's a guy and I didn't feel good there."
"And he goes like this [motioning] and there's a badge and I'm going, 'No,' and he walks away. Now that's weird too."
Lindell's remarks were first reported by The Sioux Falls Argus Leader. The Sioux Falls Police Department said it is investigating a report of an assault at a hotel.
Critics soon took to social media to mock and condemn Lindell for filing a false police report.
Someone ought to tell Mike Lindell that making a false police report is a crime.\n\nIt\u2019s not like lying about an election. \n\n#wtpBLUE\n#FreshVoicesRisehttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/mike-lindell-my-pillow-antifa-attack-cyber-symposium_n_611724c2e4b07b9118ab2c27?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004\u00a0\u2026— Jennifer Bennon (@Jennifer Bennon) 1628960300
I hope whoever the Antifa-affiliated digital incubus was wore a glove.https://apple.news/AOoQdOjVMTp20293ZmN-VSw\u00a0\u2026— Tell them Willy Boy is Queer \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\ude3a\ud83c\udfa8\u2696\ufe0f\ud83c\udf0a (@Tell them Willy Boy is Queer \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\ude3a\ud83c\udfa8\u2696\ufe0f\ud83c\udf0a) 1628950122
Still early in the day... watch for version #3 of this event from #MyPillowGuy after this one fails to help him.https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mike-lindell-my-pillow-antifa-attack-cyber-symposium_n_611724c2e4b07b9118ab2c27?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004\u00a0\u2026— Mark Dorsey (@Mark Dorsey) 1628955247
Hotels have security cameras. Everywhere.\n\nWhere's the security footage of Mike Lindell's "selfie" attack?\n\nWaiting...— \u2605\u5f61BreitERbart \u2605\u5f61 (@\u2605\u5f61BreitERbart \u2605\u5f61) 1628917644
So Mike Lindell's claim that he was attacked by the forces of evil has been downgraded to a poke from an aggressive selfie-seeker.\n\nSoon that evil global conspiracy to steal the 2020 election will turn out to be a woman whose Shih Tzu yipped at Mike as he exited the voting booth.— Victor Laszlo (@Victor Laszlo) 1628975382
* Oh, the humanity! *\nSelfie seeker wraps an arm around Mike Lindell.\n"It was piercing pain!"\nAdd the three dancing singers in the parking and you can see what he was up against.\nAnd that wraps the Cyber Symposium.https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-joe-biden-sd-state-wire-a03bb141154ff14025eccdc9d48bd1f7\u00a0\u2026— MAC KNOWLES (@MAC KNOWLES) 1628960359
This man needs to be psychologically evaluated. If he had loved ones they should have him seenhttps://apple.news/AOoQdOjVMTp20293ZmN-VSw\u00a0\u2026— miakkamisfit57 (@miakkamisfit57) 1628963096
Lindell first mentioned the alleged attack last week, on August 12.
At the time, Lindell claimed he'd been the target of an attack near the elevators at his Sioux Falls hotel. He added another event participant's home had been "raided" though he did not specify who had performed the raid.
He did, however, suggest Dominion Voting Systems and "antifa" could have been behind both incidents.
"This is where our country's gone. You take away the free speech. So they go after me. And they're going, 'Well, we try and crush his company and take everything from him.' And then they go after [me] physically."
"Now I've got to go around with a bodyguard. And I don't like bodyguards. I like to have American freedom to drive around, to do what I want, to not worry, to be able to take pictures with people."
Lindell made his claim not long after making headlines after he dashed off stage as news outlets reported a judge had allowed a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit filed against him by Dominion Voting Systems to proceed.
In February, Dominion sued Lindell, arguing he defamed the company by promoting the baseless conspiracy theory falsely claiming Dominion conspired with foreign powers to rig voting machines to stop ex-President Donald Trump from winning the 2020 election.
The company seeks more than $651 million in punitive damages as well as a further $651.7 million in compensation from Lindell.
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