North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson vowed to go after CNN for its report revealing highly concerning comments that he allegedly posted on a pornographic forum.
Nearly the entirety of Robinson’s campaign staff resigned in the wake of the bombshell report claiming he called himself a ‘black Nazi’ and ‘perv’ on the website Nude Africa.
Robinson now has only two campaign spokespersons and a bodyguard left on his team.
It’s the latest in the saga that has plagued the North Carolina gubernatorial race over the last week amid revelations of the posts.
Speaking at a campaign event in Wilkesboro, N.C., Robinson, 56, doubled down on denying the CNN report linking him to the lewd comments.
‘We are willing… to take CNN to task for what they have done to us. We are going after them,’ he promised.
Robinson’s campaign announced on Sunday four staff departures among senior leadership: Senior Advisor Conrad Pogorzelski III; Campaign Manager Chris Rodriguez; Finance Director Heather Whillier; and Deputy Campaign Manager Jason Rizk.
But local North Carolina radio station WUNC confirmed that many other staffers also quit the team, leaving Robinson with just three people working on his effort to be promoted in November and flip the Governor’s mansion red.
There are only 43 days until Election Day, meaning Robinson has just a few weeks to completely rehire an entire team.
Some claimed on social media to be new hires on the Robinson campaign, but the Republican candidate says staff announcements are incoming.
‘Online rumors of new hires to our campaign are just that – rumors. We look forward to announcing additional staff roles soon,’ the lieutenant governor wrote on X.
Departures confirmed by WUNC include longtime Director of Operations Patrick Riley and Political Directors John Kontoulas and Jackson Lohrer.
It’s unclear whether the huge feat of rehiring nearly an entire campaign office will be possible for Robinson amid a very touchy scandal, which he vehemently denies.
Robinson is in a race to take outgoing Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s seat in a state highly competitive for the 2024 election.
North Carolina is one of the seven vital battleground states needed to clinch a presidential victory.
The state voted red in 2016 and 2020, but Democrats are hoping to flip it blue for the Electoral College seat votes there in 2024.
Democrat Josh Stein is seeking to keep the governor’s office blue in the state – and said on Sunday that Donald Trump should be held responsible at the ballot box in for backing Robinson and helping him become the Republican’s gubernatorial candidate.
In announcing four senior-level departures over the weekend, Robinson said in a statement: ‘My campaign will continue to focus on the substantive issues at stake in this election: building an economy that grows from Murphy to Manteo; cutting taxes and eliminating unnecessary red-tape; removing politics out of our classrooms; and cracking down on violent crime and dangerous drugs.’
‘Polls have consistently underestimated Republican support in North Carolina for several cycles now,’ he continued, ‘and with a large portion of the electorate still undecided as we continue to ramp up our efforts across the state, I am confident our campaign remains in a strong position to make our case to the voters and win on November 5.’