At least four top staffers on the gubernatorial campaign of North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson have resigned in the wake of a report about posts he allegedly made on a porn website more than a decade ago.
Just three days after CNN reported that Robinson had allegedly made lewd comments on pornographic websites in the late 2000s, including calling himself a “black Nazi,” his campaign released a statement Sunday confirming that various senior staffers had resigned from their positions.
Conrad Pogorzelski III, who served as general counsel and senior adviser; Chris Rodriguez, campaign manager; Heather Wheelier, finance director; and Jason Rizk, who served as deputy campaign manager, have all resigned. Campaign promise The new staff will be announced soon.
“I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult decision to step away from the campaign, and I wish them all the best in their future endeavors. I look forward to announcing new staff roles in the coming days,” Robinson said in a statement. “My campaign will continue to focus on the core issues at stake in this election: building an economy that grows from Murphy to Manteo; cutting taxes and eliminating unnecessary red tape; removing politics from our classrooms; and on violent crime and dangerous drugs.”
Battleground state Republican denies involvement in porn scandal, calls it ‘tabloid trash’
FILE – North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson delivers a speech before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Asheville, NC, on August 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Robinson still expressed hope he could prevail in November over Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein, the current state attorney general.
“Polls over the past several cycles have consistently underestimated Republican support in North Carolina, and with a large share of voters still undecided, as we continue our efforts across the state, I am confident our campaign is in a strong position to make our case to voters and win on November 5,” Robinson said.
According to his campaign website, Robinson is scheduled to attend an event Monday morning. Wilkesboro, North Carolina,
CNN reported Thursday that old posts Robinson left on a porn site’s message board include ones in which he allegedly called himself a “black Nazi”; said he liked transgender pornography; said in 2012 he liked Hitler more than then-President Obama; and criticized the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as “worse than a bug.”
Former President Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate, kisses his granddaughter Carolina Trump while speaking at a campaign event at Wilmington International Airport on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Wilmington, NC. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Robinson denies writing the posts and said Thursday that he would not be forced out of the race because of “vulgar tabloid lies.”
“You’ve all seen Josh Stein’s half-truths and outright lies over and over again in these ads — and now a story he leaked to CNN is coming out. I want to assure you that the things you’ll see in that story are not Mark Robinson’s words. You know my words, you know my character, and you know I’ve been completely transparent in this race and before,” Robinson said in a video message. “Clarence Thomas once famously said he was the victim of a high-tech lynching. Well, it looks like Mark Robinson too has been victimized by a man who refuses to stand up at the podium and debate me on the real issues facing you.”
Robinson avoided directly discussing the controversy during a gubernatorial campaign event held at a racetrack in Fayetteville on Saturday evening, the Associated Press reports.
The incident happened when former President Trump did not mention Robinson at an event. Rally in Wilmington, about 90 miles away Earlier in the day. Before Saturday, Robinson was a frequent presence at Trump’s North Carolina campaign stops. The Republican presidential candidate endorsed Robinson in the primary, who would be North Carolina’s first black governor if elected.
Stein said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program Sunday that Robinson “is totally unfit and unqualified to be governor of North Carolina, and we will do everything in our power to prevent that from happening.”
On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Robinson should be given a chance to defend himself against the allegations, which Graham described as “disquieting.” He said Robinson “is a political zombie if he doesn’t present a credible defense in this case,” while arguing that either way, this would not cost Trump in losing battleground states.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump addresses a campaign rally at Wilmington International Airport on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Wilmington, NC. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
“If they’re true, he’s unfit to hold office,” Graham said of the allegations. “If they’re not true, he has the best defamation suit in the history of the country.”
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Polls show Trump and Vice President Harris are neck and neck in North Carolina and nationally. Democrats have seized the opportunity to highlight Trump’s ties to Robinson, with billboards showing the two together and a new ad from Harris’ campaign highlighting the Republican candidate’s ties.
Fox News’ Matthew Ready and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
