CNN
—
Four top officials from Republican Mark Robinson’s campaign for North Carolina governor have resigned, the campaign announced Sunday, days after a CNN report revealed inflammatory comments he made on a pornographic website.
General Counsel and Senior Advisor Conrad Pogorzelski III, Campaign Manager Chris Rodriguez, Chief Financial Officer Heather Whillier and Deputy Campaign Manager Jason Rizk have stepped down from the campaign.
Robinson’s campaign announcement comes after a CNN report revealed inflammatory comments the lieutenant governor and Republican gubernatorial candidate made on a porn website chat room more than a decade ago. Among the obscene comments, Robinson described himself as a “black Nazi” and said he used to “check out” women at a public gym when he was 14.
Robinson has a long history of making inflammatory statements, but the newly discovered forum posts go even further.
Robinson listed his full name on his profile for Nude Africa, a pornographic website that includes a chat room, as well as an email address he has used on numerous websites across the Internet for decades.
The comments, often sexual and obscene in nature, were written under the username minisoldr, a pseudonym Robinson frequently uses online. CNN was able to identify the username as Robinson by matching a litany of biographical details and an email address shared by the two.
Robinson has commented on issues of race, gender, and abortion in his posts. In some, he has described himself as a “black NAZI!” and expressed support for the restoration of slavery. In others, he has discussed his affinity for transgender pornography — despite a recent history of anti-transgender rhetoric.
In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Robinson repeatedly denied making the comments about Nude Africa.
“It’s not us. It’s not our words. And it’s not anything that characterizes me,” Robinson said. Faced with the litany of evidence linking him to the Nude Africa username, Robinson said, “I’m not going to get into the details of how somebody fabricated this, these salacious tabloid lies.”
The North Carolina Republican Party has supported his candidate since the controversy began, releasing a statement of support Thursday.
“Mark Robinson has categorically denied the allegations made by CNN, but that won’t stop the left from trying to demonize him with personal attacks. The left needs this election to be a contest about personality, not a contest about policy, because if voters focus on policy, Republicans will win on Election Day,” read a statement released by the NCGOP Thursday, just hours before the state’s deadline for a candidate to withdraw.
Since CNN’s report, some North Carolina Republicans have pressured Robinson to step down — even though the deadline for him to formally withdraw from the candidacy has passed. Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has also sought to exploit Robinson’s association with former President Donald Trump in a new ad.
The offensive comments were removed from the Nude Africa porn site on Thursday, CNN’s KFILE reported. It’s unclear whether the comments were removed by Robinson or by Nude Africa administrators. Neither the Robinson campaign nor Nude Africa responded to CNN’s inquiries.
In a statement announcing his departure, Robinson reiterated his intention to remain in the race, saying, “Polls have consistently underestimated Republican support in North Carolina for several cycles now, and with much of the electorate still undecided as we continue to ramp up our efforts across the state, I am confident that our campaign remains in a strong position to make our case to voters and win on November 5th.”
Robinson was nowhere to be found at Trump’s rally Saturday in the Tar Heel State. Trump’s campaign did not invite Robinson to the Wilmington rally, and the former president made no mention of the lieutenant governor in his speech.
Trump has consistently praised Robinson. At a campaign rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, in March, Trump said he listened to Robinson speak while on his plane and called him “Martin Luther King on steroids.”
“I said, ‘I think you’re better than Martin Luther King. I think you’re Martin Luther King times two,'” Trump said at the time.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski, Em Steck and Eric Bradner contributed to this report.
