Mark Robinson Declines Offer to Enlist Tech Experts to Exonerate Him in Racist Porn Forum Scandal

AP Photo/Chris Carlson

North Carolina Lieutenant Governor and Republican gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson has reportedly declined offers from supporters to enlist tech experts to help exonerate him after a CNN article published last week alleged that he made a number of racist and otherwise disturbing comments on a porn website’s forum.

In a report last Thursday, CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck stated that Robinson called himself a “black NAZI” and “perv,” expressed his affinity for “tranny on girl porn,” and said he would prefer Adolf Hitler “over any of that sh*t that’s in Washington right now.”

Even before the report was made published, Robinson denied its veracity, telling supporters that “the things that you will see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson,” and dismissing them as “salacious tabloid lies.”

On Monday, he even went so far as to threaten CNN with legal action, declaring that he was “coming after” the network “full throttle.”

But according to WRAL News in North Carolina, Robinson has “rejected multiple offers from supporters to connect him with information technology specialists to help the Republican gubernatorial nominee investigate” the digital trail of his comments.

From WRAL:

Campaign staffers worried about the veracity of Robinson’s denial after he rejected offers to hire tech specialists to investigate the matter, people familiar with the matter said. The people also said Robinson initially declined legal help. One of the people doubted that Robinson was serious about going after CNN, despite his comments on Monday.

Mike Lonergan, a spokesperson for the Robinson campaign, denied the account on Monday.

“That is entirely false. Lt. Gov. Robinson is in the process of retaining aggressive legal counsel to investigate who did this and how; we will leave no stone unturned, and will use every legal means to hold CNN and whomever else is involved accountable,” Lonergan said.

“Meanwhile Lt. Gov. Robinson will continue sharing his vision for North Carolina with folks all over the state,” Longergan added.

In the wake of the CNN story, the Republican Governors Association has decided not to invest any more resources into Robinson’s campaign.