North Carolina GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson should either drop out of the race or file a lawsuit against CNN over reports that he allegedly made inflammatory comments on an adult website over a decade ago, according to Sen. Thom Tillis.
"If the reporting on Mark Robinson is a total media fabrication, he needs to take immediate legal action," the North Carolina Republican posted on X on Friday, reports The Hill.
"If the reporting is true, he owes it to President Trump and every Republican to take accountability for his actions and put the future of NC & our party before himself," he added.
Robinson is strongly denying CNN's reporting Thursday that he had posted several comments on a website called "Nude Africa" between 2008 and 2012.
The report said that Robinson, who is Black, called himself a "black NAZI" on the site and called for slavery to come back, saying that he "would certainly buy a few."
Robinson, currently the state's lieutenant governor, has vowed to remain in the race. Shortly before CNN published its report, he posted a video on X, saying that "the things you will see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson."
"You know my words," he added. "You know my character, and you know that I have been completely transparent in this race and before. We are staying in this race. We are in it to win it."
As of Friday, former President Donald Trump has said he has no plans to rescind his endorsement of Robinson, reports NBC News.
Robinson is not planning to attend Trump's rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, Saturday, according to a person familiar with the event's planning. He has attended other Trump rallies in the state in the past.
Tillis initially reacted to the allegations against Robinson not by addressing the story directly, but by warning that if Vice President Kamala Harris wins his state, she'll become the next president.
"It was a tough day, but we must stay focused on the races we can win," Tillis said on X. "We have to make sure President Trump wins NC and support the outstanding GOP candidates running for key NCGA and judicial races. If Harris takes NC, she takes the White House. We can't let that happen."
The North Carolina Republican Party also defended the lieutenant governor Thursday, claiming that the "left" is "demonizing" him and wants to change the race into a "personality contest."
Robinson is running against Democrat candidate Josh Stein, who is leading in most of the state's recent polls.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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