By J. PATRICK COOLICAN
Minnesota Reformer
The Minnesota Reformer and journalist Tony Webster filed a motion in federal court Wednesday seeking to unseal court documents related to a search warrant served on Minnesota pillow mogul and prominent election denier Mike Lindell.
Lindell said — and the FBI confirmed — that he surrendered his phone to agents in Mankato.
He’s since sued Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray and the United States of America, alleging violations of his rights under the U.S. Constitution. Lindell is seeking an order requiring federal investigators to stop searching his phone and to return it to him.
As one of his filings in the civil case, Lindell filed a purported copy of the search warrant that FBI agents executed. It’s since been sealed, as have important underlying documents in support of the government’s search warrant.
The search warrant targeted evidence of identity theft and intentional damage to a protected computer. The public, however, has not yet seen any affidavit describing the facts to make a showing of probable cause that evidence of a crime would be found through the search warrant.
The court filing by the Reformer and Webster argues they have a First Amendment right to the documents, especially given that Lindell has made a civil claim arguing the government has abused its authority.
“Journalists and the public are unable to evaluate whether the exercise of judicial and executive power associated with executing the warrant is appropriate, what information was presented to justify the warrant, or whether Mr. Lindell is the subject of unfair persecution as he adamantly maintains,” the filing states. “This is crucial information for the public and the press to perform their oversight function, particularly as it relates to bedrock issues of election integrity and public corruption.”
Other media have reported that Lindell is under investigation for his connections to a case in which the government alleges a Colorado county clerk tampered with voting machines.