Mike Lindell battled with Minnesota officials over the potential governor’s race recount terms.
According to CBS News, Lindell is withholding the payment required for a recount and audit of ballots cast in the Republican primary for Minnesota governor, claiming that the Secretary of State's office has proposed an unlawful recount process, according to a statement released by his campaign Monday.
The MyPillow founder, who, as per the current results, finished second to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth in the race, said on Wednesday that he would personally pay for the recount.
Secretary of State General Counsel Lauren Bethke set Monday as the deadline for Lindell to submit the request.
Lindell's campaign said the $825,000 payment was "primed and ready to cover the costs" but had not been submitted because of a dispute over the planned scope of the recount.
The campaign said state officials intend to recount only the votes cast for Lindell and Demuth and not all the votes cast in the Republican gubernatorial primary, while excluding votes for other candidates in the race.
"The actions taken by the Secretary of State put Mike Lindell in an untenable position," Lindell's campaign said.
The campaign argues that the scope of the recount violates Minnesota law, citing a provision that defines a recount as determining "the number of votes validly cast for the office or question to be recounted."
Lindell is asking the state to waive the payment deadline until a court can rule on the parameters of the recount proposed by election officials.
Cassondra Knudson, a spokesperson for Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, said in response to the Lindell campaign's statement, "Our office provided the contingent recount plan to Mr. Lindell after it was approved by the State Canvassing Board on August 18. The plan follows state law and administrative rules on recount procedures, and is consistent with plans of its kind for the past two decades."
The state agency last week had released a contingency plan showing how a statewide hand recount would be conducted if a request were made.
