North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor, is facing intense scrutiny after a CNN investigation revealed a series of disturbing and racist comments he made on a pornographic website over a decade ago. The report, released on Thursday, has sent shockwaves through the state’s gubernatorial race and raised serious questions about Robinson’s character and fitness for office.
According to the CNN investigation, the comments were made by an account with the username “minisoldr” on a website called Nude Africa between 2008 and 2012. The account used the name “mark robinson” in its profile, and several biographical details matched Robinson’s own history. The network also found evidence that Robinson had used the same username on other platforms like YouTube and Pinterest, and that the email address associated with the account belonged to Robinson.
The comments made by the “minisoldr” account were deeply troubling and offensive. The account expressed a desire to “bring [slavery] back” and “buy a few” slaves, while also identifying as a “black NAZI.” In a discussion about Black Republicans in 2010, the account wrote, “Slavery is not bad. Some people need to be slaves. I wish they would bring it (slavery) back. I would certainly buy a few.”
In another post from March 2012, the account expressed a preference for Hitler over former President Barack Obama’s administration, stating, “I’d take Hitler over any of the s*** that’s in Washington right now!” The account also used racist language to disparage civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., saying, “I’m not in the KKK. They don’t let blacks join. If I was in the KKK I would have called him Martin Lucifer Koon!”
The release of the CNN report has caused a firestorm in the North Carolina gubernatorial race, with many questioning Robinson’s fitness for office. In a video posted on X before the story broke, Robinson vehemently denied the allegations and vowed not to drop out of the race. He insisted that the words attributed to him in the report were not his own, claiming that they were fabricated to damage his campaign.
Robinson’s denial was echoed in an interview with CNN, where he maintained that the comments were not representative of him or his character. He refused to engage with the specifics of the evidence linking him to the account, dismissing it as “salacious tabloid lies.” Robinson, who is 56 years old and married with two children, has a history of making inflammatory remarks on various topics, including Islam, abortion, feminism, and LGBTQ+ issues.
If elected, Robinson would be the first Black governor of North Carolina. Former President Donald Trump, who endorsed Robinson for governor, has praised him as “Martin Luther King on steroids.” Despite the controversy surrounding the CNN report, Robinson remains defiant and has placed blame on his Democratic opponent, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, accusing him of leaking the story to the media.
The release of the report has left many Republicans uneasy about Robinson’s candidacy. Senator Ted Budd, a North Carolina Republican, expressed reservations about the allegations and stated that voters would make their decisions based on the candidates’ merits. When asked whether Robinson should step down, Budd refrained from giving a definitive answer, opting to gather more information before making a judgment.
The fallout from the CNN report has cast a shadow over Robinson’s campaign and raised serious questions about his character and judgment. As the gubernatorial race in North Carolina heats up, all eyes will be on Robinson and how he responds to the damaging revelations. Only time will tell how this controversy will impact the outcome of the election and the future of North Carolina politics.
