Repeated violations of our civic integrity policy

Twitter bans MyPillow CEO

Mike Lindell had promoted conspiracy theories about the presidential election.

By CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO and DAVID COHEN

Twitter has pulled the plug on the account of MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.

A spokesperson for Twitter said, "This account was suspended for repeated violations of our civic integrity policy.” Twitter confirmed late Monday that the ban on the entrepreneur from Minnesota is a permanent one.

The ban is the latest in a series of disciplinary actions taken by Twitter that include, most notably, the banning of former President Donald Trump in an effort to reduce the spread of blatant political lies and punish those who incited violence, particularly in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Lindell has been a vocal backer of Trump, and reports surfaced earlier this month that he suggested the president declare martial law in the wake of what he saw as widespread election fraud.

Among other things, Lindell alleged that the voting machine companies Smartmatic and Dominion Voting Systems were part of a conspiracy to rig the election against Trump. Upon threat of lawsuit from Dominion, Lindell told the New York Times: "I would really welcome them to sue me because I have all the evidence against them."

Lindell is known to be considering a possible run for governor of Minnesota in 2022. The ban from Twitter would complicate his effort to reach voters.

Last year, Twitter held to its permanent ban of Laura Loomer despite her winning the Republican primary in a long-shot bid for Florida's 21st Congressional District. "The account owner you referenced was permanently suspended for repeated violations of the Twitter Rules, and we do not plan to reverse that enforcement action," the company said in a statement at the time.