North Carolina nominee Mark Robinson denies calling himself ‘black Nazi’ on porn site
The Republican candidate running to be governor of North Carolina has denied accusations he called himself a “black Nazi” on a pornography website and insisted he would not drop out of the race.
On Thursday, CNN claimed it had uncovered information showing Mark Robinson, 56, had posted what it termed inflammatory comments on a pornography website’s message board more than a decade ago.
According to CNN, posting under the username minisoldr on the site Nude Africa, Mr Robinson reportedly described secretly “peeping” on women in the showers of public gymnasiums as a teenager.
Mr Robinson, whose campaign in backed by Donald Trump and who is currently the state’s lieutenant governor, also allegedly termed himself as a “black NAZI!” and expressed support for reinstating slavery.
CNN said it had declined to publish much of the content it had uncovered, given its graphic nature. It also reported that Mr Robinson had denied making the comments.
An email address belonging to Mr Robinson was also allegedly registered on Ashley Madison, a website designed for married people seeking affairs, according to the Politico website. A spokesperson for Robinson said that he did not make an account on Ashley Madison.
On Thursday, the candidate posted a video on X, in which he said: “We are staying in this race. We are in it to win it. And we know that with your help, we will.”
Mr Robinson made reference to a story that he said CNN was running, but he didn’t give details.
“Let me reassure you the things that you will see in that story — those are not the words of Mark Robinson,” he said. “You know my words. You know my character.”
Trans people are ‘filth’, Robinson said
Mr Robinson, who is trailing in the polls to Democrat Josh Stein by as much as eight points, has a history of making controversial and often unsettling comments.
Over the years he has made anti-Semitic comments, questioned the Holocaust, and often attacked the LGBT+ community.
An avowed evangelical Christian who has often been asked to deliver sermons, he attacked transgender people as “filth”.
“And yes, I called it filth,” he said, in 2021. “And if you don’t like that I called it filth, come see me and I’ll explain it to you.”
Mr Robinson’s campaign did not respond to questions from The Telegraph.
The campaign of Mr Stein said in a statement: “North Carolinians already know Mark Robinson is completely unfit to be Governor.”
I wanted to take a minute to address the latest outrageous lies coming from my opponent's dishonest campaign: #ncgov #ncpol pic.twitter.com/RtteVUiozr
— Mark Robinson (@markrobinsonNC) September 19, 2024
Earlier, Mr Stein had declined to hold a debate with Mr Robinson, saying he had “spent his entire public life spewing hate, lying about his record, and spreading dangerous and false conspiracy theories”.
A spokesperson added: “A debate would only serve to legitimise him and provide a platform for his vile and dangerous rhetoric.”
The furore has been lept upon by critics of Mr Trump, who has frequently voiced his support for Mr Robinson.
Mr Robinson had been considered a rising star in the Republican party.
Ahead of the March primary, Mr Trump told a rally in Greensboro that Mr Robinson was “Martin Luther King on steroids” for his speaking ability.
As it is, Mr Trump is already having to fight harder than expected to win North Carolina and its 16 electoral college votes.
Barack Obama was the last Democrat to win the state in 2008, but polls suggest Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is closing the gap there with Mr Trump.
State law says a gubernatorial nominee could withdraw as a candidate no later than the day before the first absentee ballots requested by military and overseas voters are distributed. That begins on Friday, so the withdrawal deadline would be late Thursday. State Republican leaders could then pick a replacement.
Mr Trump has yet to comment on the accusations. However, Mr Trump’s campaign appears to be distancing itself from Mr Robinson in the wake of the report. In a statement to the AP, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the GOP nominee’s campaign “is focused on winning the White House and saving this country”, calling North Carolina “a vital part of that plan’’.
Ms Leavitt went on to contrast Mr Trump’s economic record with that of Ms Harris, not mentioning Mr Robinson by name or answering questions as to whether he would appear with Mr Trump at a Saturday campaign rally in Wilmington, or had been invited to do so.
A spokesperson for Ms Harris’ campaign, Ammar Moussa, said on X that “Donald Trump has a Mark Robinson problem” and reposted a photo of the two together.
Ed Broyhill, a North Carolina member of the Republican National Committee, said he spoken with Mr Robinson on Thursday afternoon and still supported him as the nominee. In an interview, Mr Broyhill suggested the online details might have been fabricated.
“It seems like a dirty trick to me,” Mr Broyhill said.
On Capitol Hill, US Representative Richard Hudson of North Carolina, chair of the House GOP’s campaign committee, told reporters the report’s findings were “concerning’’. Mr Robinson, he said, has some reassuring to do in the state.
Mr Robinson, 56, was elected lieutenant governor in his first bid for public office in 2020.
He tells a life story of childhood poverty, jobs that he blames the North American Free Trade Agreement for ending, and personal bankruptcy. His four-minute speech to the Greensboro City Council defending gun rights and lamenting the “demonising” of police officers went viral — and led him to a National Rifle Association board position and popularity among conservative voters.
