Mike Lindell says a bank is closing his accounts over fear of "reputational damage"

Lindell is apparently refusing to pull his money from the bank, saying, "You're going to have to throw me out"

Published January 15, 2022 1:57PM (EST)

My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Money problems continue to plague MyPillow CEO-turned-election conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell, with the staunch Trump ally revealing Friday on Steve Bannon's podcast that he had recently been asked by his bank to close his accounts over fear of the institution's "reputational damage" if it continued to be associated with the controversial figure.

The pillow maven played a recorded call he said came from the bank, Heartland Financial, giving him 30 days to take his business elsewhere. The alleged representative said the institution is afraid his bank records may soon be subpoenaed by federal authorities, presenting a risk to the bank's image.

But the request apparently fell on deaf ears — with Lindell telling Bannon that he refuses to pull his money from the bank.

"I said, 'I am not being part of this. I'm not leaving. So you're going to have to throw me out of your bank,'" Lindell said.

Representatives for Lindell did not immediately return a request for comment for this story.


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Lindell is already facing a billion-dollar defamation lawsuit from election security company Dominion Voting Systems, which presents a very real financial threat to the bedding magnate. As Salon previously reported, Lindell was forced to sell his private jet to finance his legal defense for the case, a 10-seat Dassault-Breguet Falcon 50 that he used to travel the country spreading former President Donald Trump's election lies. 

Asked directly whether he had sold an airplane to raise money, Lindell called one Salon reporter "flying pond scum" and "slime" before hanging up. 

Lindell is apparently carrying over that confrontational approach to his dealings with Heartland Financial, at one point displaying phone numbers and contact information for the bank on the video feed of Bannon's podcast in a bid to flood their lines with complaints from MAGA supporters and remaining election dead-enders.

"Where does it end everybody?" Lindell complained. "Where does it end?"

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By Brett Bachman

Brett Bachman was the Nights/Weekend Editor at Salon.

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Banks Clip Donald Trump Heartland Financial Mike Lindell Mypillow Podcast Steve Bannon War Room