Mark Robinson appears to be denying a shocking CNN report linking him to lewd and racist comments posted on a pornographic website.
The North Carolina GOP gubernatorial nominee fired off at reporters on Sept. 23 in response to “the false lies” he claims CNN included in an investigative report released on Sept.19, Huff Post reports. While denying the comments he’s accused of having made in the online forum of a porn site called Nude Africa, Robinson also seemingly owned up to making the alleged disturbing remarks.
“You’d better understand I am coming after CNN full-throttle,” a visibly angry Robinson said about taking legal action against the news network.
However, his next comment, Robinson seemingly alluded to the strong possibility he made the vulgar statements online.
“We’re not here to talk about 15- or 20-year-old salacious, false lies,” he continued. “They want to talk about what possibly happened 15 years ago.”
Robinson’s rant was his first public appearance since CNN’s scathing report. The report
accused him of referring to himself as a “black Nazi,” describing his alleged experiences of sexual arousal from secretly watching women in public showers, and calling himself a “perv” who enjoys pornography featuring transgender individuals—a stark contrast to his current transphobic rhetoric.While Robinson claims CNN’s report is “salacious, tabloid trash,” reporters offered extensive research into how they linked the username on Nude Africa directly to many of Robinson’s biographical details and his shared email addresses.
The allegations come as Robinson
campaigns to become North Carolina’s next governor. Since the report was published, Robinson has lost eight campaign staffers, including his campaign manager and the Republican Governors Association announcing an end to ad buys for Robinson in North Carolina. The Cook Political Report also changed its forecast for North Carolina’s gubernatorial race from “leans Democrat” to “likely Democrat.” Robinson running against the state’s Democratic attorney general, Josh Stein.In a Sunday interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) cited the “unnerving” nature of the report
, adding that if the claims are false, Robinson has a strong case for libel. However, if the claims are true, “he’s unfit to serve in office,” Graham said.RELATED CONTENT: NAACP PRESIDENT URGES MARK ROBINSON TO SUSPEND NORTH CAROLINA CAMPAIGN