Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson said he’ll take legal action against CNN for “salacious lies” alleging he made racist and sexually explicit comments on a pornography website’s message board.
Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor, spoke to a crowd of around 30 at a campaign stop outside Vernon’s Cake Carousel in Wilkesboro. He defended himself against the CNN report and vowed to move forward with his campaign — albeit thinly staffed after several campaign staff members resigned over the weekend. A campaign statement about the resignations didn’t mention the reporting about online comments on the website Nude Africa — where he allegedly called himself a “Black Nazi,” a “perv” and admitted to secretly watching women shower when he was 14.
“We are going to go after them for what they’ve done. But we have five weeks left in this race, folks, and make no mistake about it, we are not going to let CNN throw us off of our mission,” Robinson said Monday. “You better understand I am coming after (CNN) full throttle.”
Robinson didn’t specify what kind of legal action he planned to take.
Republicans and Democrats alike have raised questions about the validity of Robinson’s campaign moving forward. Staff members who resigned included his senior advisor, his campaign manager, his finance director and his director of operations. WUNC reported Robinson only has two campaign spokespeople and a bodyguard left on his staff.
Still, Robinson said he can win.
“We have full confidence that we can go on. We’re getting resumes from all over. We’re getting offers from all over, people are jumping in to help us,” he said. “We’re right in the process right now of forming a team that we know can still lead us to victory.”
‘What possibly happened 15 years ago’
Robinson began both of his two short speeches to attendees by condemning the press and denying the CNN report. He said voters’ focus should be on today’s problems rather than “15 or 20 year old salacious, false, lies.” He said his focus is on the economy, public safety, education, health care and housing.
“They don’t want to talk about what’s going on right now. They want to talk about what possibly happened 15 years ago,” Robinson said about the press. “Let’s talk about right now.”
A group of seven protesters stood across the road from Vernon’s Cake Carousel while Robinson spoke, holding signs that said “Nazi’s do not deserve a sweet treat,” and “pervs are not welcome here.”
Kathyrn Charles, chair of the Wilkes County Democratic Party, called Robinson racist and misogynist and criticized him for the comments made on Nude Africa, including one that defended slavery.
“Robinson is just dangerous,” she said. “We already knew that he was extreme, but this just goes to prove it. I mean, he wants to bring slavery back, and he wants to buy a few, that’s one of the things he said.”
Jimmy Young, a 62-year old Wilkes County resident, said he supports Robinson because he does not like his Democratic opponent Josh Stein. What Robinson may have said on a chat board a decade ago doesn’t matter, he said.
“Well, as a 14 year old myself, at one time, I probably peeked in the girls’ locker room once or twice myself, so I’m alright with that one,” Young said. “Even if he did that, he’s still better than Josh Stein.”
Source Agencies
