North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson filed a lawsuit against CNN over a report that claimed he made explicit racial and sexual posts on a pornography website’s message board. Robinson denied authoring the messages and called the report reckless and defamatory. He has been targeted by individuals who disagree with him politically and wants to see him destroyed, according to Robinson, who would become the state’s first Black governor if elected.
The CNN report alleged that Robinson made statements on a message board over a decade ago, referring to himself as a “black NAZI” and expressing controversial opinions about various topics. The report claimed to match details from the account on the message board to other online accounts held by Robinson by comparing usernames, email addresses, and biographical information. Polls around the time of the report showed Democratic rival Josh Stein leading over Robinson, with early in-person voting beginning soon.
Robinson also sued a Greensboro punk rock band singer for alleging in a music video and interviews that Robinson frequented a porn shop in the 1990s and early 2000s. The lawsuit denied these allegations and sought damages of at least $50 million, claiming this was a coordinated attack to derail his gubernatorial campaign. Robinson’s lawyer indicated that efforts to collect information have been stonewalled, but they will continue to pursue the facts, including subpoena power.
Following the CNN report, Robinson’s campaign lost most of its top staff, and the Republican Governors Association stopped supporting him. Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, began running ads linking opponents to Robinson. Robinson’s campaign is not running TV commercials currently, focusing on in-person campaign stops. He already faced opposition over past inflammatory comments about topics like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.
Despite facing challenges, Robinson continued his campaign, working on hurricane relief efforts and criticizing Democratic Governor Roy Cooper’s initial response. Former President Donald Trump endorsed Robinson before the primary, praising his speaking abilities. Robinson had been a frequent presence at Trump’s North Carolina campaign stops but has not participated in events since the CNN report. The lawsuit against CNN seeks to refute the allegations and defend Robinson’s reputation ahead of the gubernatorial election.
