Current:Home > MyIn effort to refute porn-site message report, Mark Robinson campaign hires a law firm-LoTradeCoin
In effort to refute porn-site message report, Mark Robinson campaign hires a law firm
View Date:2024-12-24 00:09:12
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson said Tuesday his campaign has hired a law firm to help investigate a CNN report stating he made explicit racial and sexual posts on a pornography website’s message board.
The lawyers will look at how what Robinson calls “false smears” originated.
The announcement comes as more North Carolina Republicans disturbed by last week’s report said that if Robinson can’t formally refute the accusations quickly, the GOP should shift its focus to competitive in-state races.
Other Republicans already have abandoned Robinson, the sitting lieutenant governor. The Republican Governors Association said Monday it will no longer support Robinson. His campaign had benefitted from the group spending millions of dollars in advertising in his race with Democratic nominee Josh Stein whom polls have shown leading Robinson. Most of Robinson’s top campaign staffers also quit in the report’s fallout.
GOP officials are anxious that Robinson’s situation could pull down Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and help Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the battleground state, and threaten the outcomes of other key seats on the ballot.
“He should conclusively and quickly prove false the allegations against him,” Hal Weatherman, who is seeking to succeed Robinson as lieutenant governor, said on X. Weatherman runs separately from Robinson but received his endorsement. “If he can prove this isn’t true and was fabricated to hurt him, he will win in a landslide. But if he fails to do so, he will lose, because the comments being attributed to him are highly disturbing.”
Robinson, a favorite of the state GOP’s conservative base, has denied writing the messages from more than a decade ago, well before he became active in politics. In a news release, Robinson said he was confident the Binnall Law Group from northern Virginia “will leave no stone unturned and enable us to use every legal means to hold CNN accountable for their lies.”
CNN’s report unearthed posts it said Robinson left on a porn site’s message boards in which he referred to himself as a “black NAZI;” said he enjoyed transgender pornography; said in 2012 he preferred Hitler to then-President Barack Obama; and slammed the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as “worse than a maggot.” Robinson has a history of inflammatory comments on abortion, LGBTQ+ issues and the role of women that Stein and his allies have used against him for months.
CNN didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Last week, CNN said it had matched details of an account on the pornographic website forum to other online accounts held by Robinson by comparing usernames, a known email address and his full name. CNN reported that details discussed by the account holder matched Robinson’s age, length of marriage and other biographical information..
At a campaign event Monday, Robinson said he would be “coming after CNN full throttle.” He hasn’t provided evidence that would counter the broadcast report.
U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who endorsed a Robinson rival in the March gubernatorial primary, proposed Tuesday that Robinson should by Friday present evidence that would form the basis for litigation to “defend his name or in the absence of a defense, then we’ve got to move on.”
What to know about the 2024 Election
- Today’s news: Follow live updates from the campaign trail from the AP.
- Ground Game: Sign up for AP’s weekly politics newsletter to get it in your inbox every Monday.
- AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
Robinson was endorsed by Trump before the primary and has spoken at the former president’s in-state rallies. But he was not involved in a Trump rally in Wilmington last weekend and Trump didn’t mention him. Trump has another North Carolina event on Wednesday.
Speaking in Charlotte on Monday, Trump running mate JD Vance said it was up to North Carolina voters to decide what they think of Robinson’s messages and whether they believe Robinson’s defense.
A Republican Governors Association spokesperson said this week that no further ad placements had been made in the race after Tuesday.
Data from AdImpact, which monitors campaign spending, shows that the RGA and a separate political action committee associated with the group had spent at least $15.9 million on television and online advertising in the North Carolina general election race. Stein’s campaign and his allied groups have widely outspent Robinson and his allies during the general election so far, according to data.
The deadline for any North Carolina gubernatorial candidate to withdraw from the race was Sept. 19.
veryGood! (2883)
Related
- Fantasy football Week 11: Trade value chart and rest of season rankings
- In a historic step, strippers at an LA bar unionize
- Tell us how AI could (or already is) changing your job
- 3 ways to protect your money if the U.S. defaults on its debt
- College Football Playoff ranking release: Army, Georgia lead winners and losers
- Yes, Puerto Rican licenses are valid in the U.S., Hertz reminds its employees
- You Won't Believe How Much Gymnast Olivia Dunne Got Paid for One Social Media Post
- Why Beyoncé Just Canceled an Upcoming Stop on Her Renaissance Tour
- Bev Priestman fired as Canada women’s soccer coach after review of Olympic drone scandal
- Houston lesbian bar was denied insurance coverage for hosting drag shows, owner says
Ranking
- Is Kyle Richards Finally Ready to File for Divorce From Mauricio Umansky? She Says...
- Rosie O'Donnell Shares Update on Madonna After Hospitalization
- Meghan Trainor Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 2 With Daryl Sabara
- Slim majority wants debt ceiling raised without spending cuts, poll finds
- New Orleans marks with parade the 64th anniversary of 4 little girls integrating city schools
- Selling Sunset's Amanza Smith Finally Returns Home After Battle With Blood Infection in Hospital
- Group agrees to buy Washington Commanders from Snyder family for record $6 billion
- Kyra Sedgwick Serves Up the Secret Recipe to Her and Kevin Bacon's 35-Year Marriage
Recommendation
-
Will Aaron Rodgers retire? Jets QB tells reporters he plans to play in 2025
-
Max streaming service says it will restore writer and director credits after outcry
-
In a Bid to Save Its Coal Industry, Wyoming Has Become a Test Case for Carbon Capture, but Utilities are Balking at the Pricetag
-
IRS chief says agency is 'deeply concerned' by higher audit rates for Black taxpayers
-
West Virginia expands education savings account program for military families
-
Weak GOP Performance in Midterms Blunts Possible Attacks on Biden Climate Agenda, Observers Say
-
Celebrity Esthetician Kate Somerville Is Here To Improve Your Skin With 3 Simple Hacks
-
Kyra Sedgwick Serves Up the Secret Recipe to Her and Kevin Bacon's 35-Year Marriage