August 05, 2022 08:39 AM UTC

CO Republican Statehouse Candidate Is Election Denier Working for Mike Lindell

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• by: Erik Maulbetsch

(You never know who might have a clown suit in their closet — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

A Colorado Republican state Senate candidate is employed by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell to promote election fraud conspiracy theories.

Melody Peotter, who is running for Senate District 25 in the north Denver suburbs, lists Lindell Management as her employer on her personal financial disclosure form.  Lindell funds Cause of America, the national conspiracist organization Lindell modeled upon the Colorado-based U.S. Election Integrity Plan (USEIP), and he told Reuters that he pays other election-focused employees through Lindell Management. Two right-wing conspiracists who endorsed Peotter say she works specifically for Cause of America.

Peotter was one of the original members of USEIP. Founder Holly Kasun added Peotter and her husband Brian to the organization’s Basecamp communication platform on Nov. 28, 2020, the same day it was created.

The group’s chat logs show that a week later, Melody was responsible for adding new members. Melody, whose USEIP profile image shows the same person as pictures her campaign site and personal Facebook pages, added 99 members to the group’s platform in late 2020 and the first half of 2021.

Amy Scott Grant, a new age self-help author who blogs as “Patriot Amy,” endorsed Peotter as a true “constitutional conservative.”

“Melody works for Mike Lindell’s Cause of America and is all in on election integrity,” writes Grant. “She’s also a staunch patriot, a hard worker, and a loving mom. I know this individual personally as a co-worker and a friend. Melody stepped up when no one else was running her district.”

The USEIP chat logs also show Peotter’s answer to the group’s discussion question, “Read any good books lately?” She praises an antisemitic conspiracy book: “None Dare Call it Conspiracy by Gary Allen. A little old, but so many truths still resonate today!”

Gary Allen was a spokesperson for the notoriously conspiracist John Birch Society. The blurb for Allen’s 1971 book reads as follows: “This book is for anyone who wishes to understand the basic workings of the global network of Insiders that is determined to wield power over all of mankind in the coming New World Order.” Allen’s book promotes age-old antisemitic conspiracies about Jewish bankers controlling the world. It was condemned by the Anti-Defamation League which stated that Allen “revives the anti-Jewish propaganda campaigns of the 1920s.” Even the famously conservative New Hampshire newspaper the Union-Leader, editorialized that Allen’s book is “anti-Semitic nonsense.”

Peotter’s husband is also an election-denying political candidate. Brian Peotter, the Libertarian Party nominee for U.S. Senate, posts regularly on the far-right social media platform Gab, including several statements promoting the Big Lie. He also posted his support for Gab founder Andrew Torba, who has endorsed his campaign.

Reached for comment, Brian Peotter acknowledged that Gab’s stance permitting any speech that isn’t explicitly illegal creates a platform filled with antisemitism and white nationalism that, he says, he doesn’t agree with, but he countered that “it bothers me that I can’t claim the election was stolen on Twitter.”

Asked about Torba’s antisemitic statements, Brian Peotter said he was unaware of them. After reviewing news articles sent to him by the Colorado Times Recorder, Peotter removed Torba’s endorsement from his campaign website, at least pending more research he says he will conduct about the context of Torba’s statements.

He also offered the statement below.

“I do not believe in any conspiracy about the Jewish people or country controlling the world,” said Brian Peotter. “I disavow Anti-Semites or other racists who believe any race to be better or worse than another. I believe all life to be precious, each and every life, born or unborn. “Everyone should have a right to say terrible things, as long as they do not contain threats of violence.  If Gab could make it easier to ignore or filter out these things as a user not wanting to see them it would improve the platform. Freedom of speech is not freedom to be heard, and it is hard to filter out the hate on twitter or GAB right now. I support the goals of GAB to provide free speech, That doesn’t mean I agree with all the views of Andrew Torba or him of my views.”

Brian Peotter believes the election “was obviously taken from Trump,” at the very least via unconstitutional changes to state laws in swing states like Wisconsin that allowed mail ballots. He says he hasn’t seen evidence that Dominion Voting machines switched votes from Trump to Biden, as alleged by Mike Lindell and his Cause of America team, but says that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

Brian Peotter plans on attending Lindell’s upcoming election fraud conspiracy conference, the Moment of Truth Summit, which takes place Aug. 20-21 in Missouri.

Melody Peotter did not reply to multiple voicemail requests for comment. This article will be updated with any response received.

Reached for comment via text, Lindell declined to say whether or not he would endorse his employee, instead decrying this reporter’s “evil agenda.”

Melody Peotter’s campaign is being supported by at least two other Coloradans who list Lindell’s Cause of America as their employer. Susan Gonzales of Johnstown is the campaign’s filing agent and also a max donor whose $400 contribution form says she’s an accountant for Cause of America. Lakewood’s James Peabody, who’s also been a spokesperson for USEIP, gave $200 and listed his occupation as a software engineer for Cause of America.

Another conspiracist, Linda Bissett of Colorado Fight for Freedom, has both donated to and endorsed Peotter. Her endorsement appeared on Telegram, where she posts as “Linda Opines formerly SusieQ.”

“I endorse Melody for CO Senate,” says Bisset. “She is one of us who is stepping up to challenge an otherwise unopposed Democrat for this seat!  Please help support Melody who has been fighting for election integrity with USEIP and Cause of America since the 2020 election.”

Melody Peotter will face incumbent Sen. Faith Winter (D-Westminster) this November. Senate District 25 includes Broomfield, Northglenn, and parts of Westminster.