MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell turned away from Republican governors convention

Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow and loyal Donald Trump ally, has said he was turned away from a convention of Republican governors in Nashville, Tennessee, this week.

Lindell, who has been sued for defamation over his baseless claims that a company’s voting machines stole the election from Trump for Joe Biden, was turned away as he attempted to go to a dinner at the Tennessee governor’s mansion.

A spokesperson for the Republican Governor’s Association told Politico that the event was for members of the association “and Mike Lindell is not currently an RGA member”.

On Tuesday, according to Politico, Lindell said he had been invited to the conference and shared a screenshot headlined “RGA – Nashville Meeting”.

Lindell’s attempt to attend the dinner comes amid Republican confusion over the future of the party and the role Trump, and his ardent supporters, may play in its makeup.

Lindell previously attended meetings of the group, including one last year in which he was floated as a candidate for the Minnesota governorship. That plan, supported by Trump, has not advanced.

Lindell, a familiar face on Fox News, found political fame after being invited by Trump to speak at a White House press conference.

Related: Trump ally Mike Lindell of My Pillow pushes martial law at White House

Lindell later promoted Trump’s baseless claims of a stolen election and mass voter fraud, including being photographed with a document mentioning “martial law” after the 6 January attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters intent on denying the election results.

The following month, Lindell was sued by Dominion Voting Systems in a $1.3bn defamation suit that accuses him of repeatedly and falsely saying that the company’s voting machines had been involved in foul play.

As recently as last month, Lindell told Steve Bannon, a former White House strategist, that Fox News was mounting a conspiracy against him over his election fraud claims.

“You know, I’m gonna have those answers soon because I’ve hired private investigators and I’ve spent a lot of money on them to investigate everything,” Lindell said.