Election conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell holding Springfield 'summit': What to know

Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow and one of the most prolific propagators of debunked election conspiracy theories in the U.S., is hosting a weekend-long convention in Springfield later this month.

The event, called the "Moment of Truth Summit," will be held at University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Springfield from Aug. 20-21. It will feature a presentation by Lindell, "speakers from all 50 states," a "world premier" of a movie centered around conspiracy theories of election fraud, "expert discussions," "unveiling of new evidence," "calls to action" and more. The 48-hour event will also be livestreamed to his website, called Frank Social.

Lindell, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, continues to tout debunked information and theories about a "cyber attack" and various forms of election fraud that disrupted voting during the 2020 presidential election. Among them is that hackers from China changed votes to take them away from Trump.

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His claims have been frequently dispelled as false by election officials across the country, and have resulted in a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit from voting system company Dominion, as well as legal sanctions.

Hotel reservation blocks totaling almost 200 rooms have been reserved across Springfield for the weekend event, according to registration information.

The event first gained attention in July, when a clip of Lindell revealing the event on a right-wing news network went viral across social media. He called it "the most important event in our lifetimes" but provided little other information. The event will be "invite only," he said, with invitations being sent to "grassroots" individuals such as church leaders and podcasters.

Lindell's planned Springfield event is not the first of its kind. Last year, he held a 72-hour "cyber symposium" in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, featuring speakers ranging from former Trump White House advisor Steve Bannon to the son of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

Election conspiracies like those touted by Lindell have taken root among some Republican elected officials in Missouri.

Last August, during an elections committee meeting held by state lawmakers, several people who testified — including Rep. Ann Kelley of Lamar — said they had attended the "cyber symposium" and shared what they had learned. In that same hearing, county clerks and a staffer in the Missouri Secretary of State's office said the election was "very secure" in Missouri and there were no known issues.

In January, Douglas Frank, another prominent proponent of election conspiracies, spoke under the Missouri Capitol rotunda in Jefferson City.

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Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, to host Springfield, MO convention