close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

North Carolina lieutenant governor denies involvement in alleged pornography scandal, calls it ‘tabloid trash’
news

North Carolina lieutenant governor denies involvement in alleged pornography scandal, calls it ‘tabloid trash’

Warning: Graphic material

North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson denied involvement in an alleged pornography scandal that broke Thursday and vowed to stay in the race to become the next governor of the Old North State.

CNN published a report Thursday afternoon alleging Robinson’s previous use of a porn site called “Nude Africa,” where he allegedly messaged other users about spying on women in locker rooms as a teenager. He reportedly described himself as a “black Nazi” and had a penchant for transgender porn.

Shortly before the report was published, Robinson posted a video on his X account in which he vowed to stay in the race, while also calling the then-expected report “tabloid trash.”

“Let me reassure you, the things that you’re going to see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson. You know my words, you know my character, and you know that I’ve been completely transparent in this race and before. Folks, in this race right now, our opponents are desperate to shift the focus away from the substantive issues and focus on what you care about and onto salacious, tabloid garbage,” he said in the X video.

NC GOP GUBERNATORY CANDIDATE MARK ROBINSON FACES CALLS TO RETREAT COUNTER-RUMORS OF THREATENING BOMB

Mark Robinson wearing MAGA hat

North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson arrives at a “Get Out The Vote” rally with former President Trump in Greensboro, March 2, 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

According to the CNN report, Robinson used a pseudonym, “minisoldr,” on the porn site to talk about how much he enjoys watching transgender porn and about peeping at women in a locker room when he was 14.

“I came to a place that was a dead end, but it had two large vents over it! It happened to overlook the showers! I sat there for about an hour and watched different girls come in and shower,” Robinson reportedly wrote on Nude Africa about spying on women as a teenager.

In another 2010 story, CNN reported that Robinson allegedly said, “I’m a black Nazi!” while talking about black Republicans.

According to CNN, the alleged use of the chat forums occurred between 2008 and 2012, long before Robinson entered the political arena in 2019 and announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor.

REPUBLICAN MARK ROBINSON ON HISTORIC VICTORY FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: ‘THIS PARTY IS OPEN TO EVERYONE’

Robinson blamed his Democratic opponent, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, for leaking the allegations to the media.

“The people of North Carolina already know that Mark Robinson is completely unfit to be governor. Josh remains focused on winning this campaign so that together we can build a safer, stronger North Carolina for everyone,” Stein’s campaign told Fox News Digital.

In a statement to CNN, Robinson again denied the report.

“This is not us. These are not our words. And this is not something that is specific to me,” Robinson said. “I’m not going to get into the details of how someone fabricated this, these salacious tabloid lies.”

Reports mounted Thursday morning that Robinson was under pressure from Republican allies to withdraw from the race after it emerged that a damning news article had surfaced against him over his alleged use of adult websites in the 2000s.

Before the CNN report was published, Robinson’s campaign communications director openly claimed the reports were false.

“Whoever your sources are here, this is complete fiction,” communications director Michael Lonergan told the Carolina Journal earlier Thursday.

Fox News Digital reached out to Robinson on Thursday but has not yet received a response.

NRA Endorses GOP GOVERNORAL CANDIDATE WHO WENT VIRAL WITH PRO-GUN TALK: ‘I AM THE MAJORITY’

Mark Robinson speaks

North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson speaks at the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority Conference at the Washington Hilton on June 21, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) issued a statement in response to CNN’s report. The DGA said this is “the latest evidence that Mark Robinson is deranged, dangerous, and utterly unfit to be governor.”

“With many Republicans warning of the damage Robinson would do as governor, it’s clear that the stakes have never been higher and we must keep our feet on the gas to defeat him in November,” said Izzi Levy, DGA deputy communications director.

North Carolina outlet The Assembly published a separate, lengthy report on Sept. 3 alleging that Robinson routinely visited porn shops and viewed material in a private booth, according to former employees and customers. Robinson’s alleged visits to sex shops occurred in the 1990s and 2000s, before his move into politics, the report said.

Lonergan denied the findings in The Assembly report, calling it “complete and total fiction.”

“This false and personal attack on my boss is complete fiction,” Lonergan told the outlet.

Mark Robinson on stage

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson speaks at a campaign rally at Harrah’s Cherokee Center on August 14, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina. (Grant Baldwin/Getty Images)

Robinson became lieutenant governor of North Carolina in 2021, the first African American to hold that office. He announced last April that he would run for governor.

NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN LT GOVERNOR MARK ROBINSON LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO REPLACE DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR ROY COOPER

Robinson went viral in 2018 when he delivered an impassioned speech about gun laws at a Greensboro city council meeting before he was elected to political office. His speech came in response to local leaders debating whether to cancel a gun show following the Parkland school shooting in Florida that same year.

“I’m a law-abiding citizen who has never shot anybody,” Robinson said during the meeting, which has been viewed 200 million times. “Every time we have one of these shootings, nobody wants to put the blame where it belongs, which is on the shooter. You want to put it on me. You want to turn around and abridge my rights.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

He previously worked as a furniture factory worker in North Carolina and is a war veteran before climbing the GOP political ladder, including earning endorsements from former President Trump and the NRA.

Get the latest 2024 campaign updates, exclusive interviews and more in our Fox News Digital Election Center.