North Carolina governor's race rocked by CNN report on GOP candidate

Editor's note: This communicative contains highly violative language. 

Washington — North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor, posted a slew of incendiary, explicit and racist comments connected a pornographic website much than a decennary ago, according to a CNN investigation released Thursday that has shaken the state's gubernatorial race.

The study focused connected comments made by an relationship with the sanction "minisoldr" connected a pornographic website called Nude Africa betwixt 2008 and 2012. The relationship utilized the sanction "mark robinson" successful its illustration and a fig of biographical details posted by the relationship enactment up with Robinson's ain history, according to CNN. The web reported that Robinson appeared to usage the relationship sanction connected different platforms implicit the years, including YouTube and Pinterest, and that the email code associated with the relationship belonged to Robinson.

On the Nude Africa forum, the idiosyncratic expressed a tendency to "bring [slavery] back" and "buy a few" slaves, portion identifying himself arsenic a "black NAZI," according to CNN. 

"Slavery is not bad. Some radical request to beryllium slaves. I privation they would bring it (slavery) back. I would surely bargain a few," the relationship wrote successful a treatment astir Black Republicans successful 2010, according to CNN. 

"I similar watching tranny connected miss porn!" the minisoldr relationship besides posted connected Nude Africa, according to CNN. "That's f****** hot! It takes the antheral retired portion leaving the antheral in! And yea I'm a 'perv' too!" 

In March 2012, minisoldr posted a penchant for Hitler implicit erstwhile President Barack Obama's administration: "I'd instrumentality Hitler implicit immoderate of the s*** that's successful Washington close now!"

Minisoldr besides utilized racist connection to vilify civilian rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

"I'm not successful the KKK. They don't fto blacks join. If I was successful the KKK I would person called him Martin Lucifer Koon!" the relationship posted successful October 2011, according to CNN. 

Reports emerged earlier Thursday that CNN was readying to people a damaging communicative that could pb different Republicans to telephone connected Robinson to driblet retired of the race. In a video posted to X earlier the CNN communicative was published, Robinson flatly denied that helium said thing successful the CNN study and insisted helium won't driblet out. North Carolina volition statesman mailing ballots to members of the subject and voters extracurricular the U.S. connected Friday.

"The things that you volition spot successful that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson," Robinson said successful his video. "You cognize my words, you cognize my quality and you cognize that I person been wholly transparent successful this contention and before."

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson speaks during the archetypal time of the Republican National Convention successful Milwaukee, Wisconsin, connected Monday, July 15, 2024. Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Robinson echoed those comments successful an interrogation with CNN. "This is not us. These are not our words. And this is not thing that is diagnostic of me," Robinson said, adding that helium wouldn't "get into the minutia of however idiosyncratic manufactured this, these salacious tabloid lies" erstwhile presented with grounds that the relationship belonged to him.

Robinson, who is 56 and joined with 2 children, has a past of inflammatory remarks that person wide circulated since helium won the state's Republican primary successful March. Serving arsenic North Carolina's lieutenant politician since 2021, helium gained prominence successful Republican circles aft helium delivered a pro-gun rights code that went viral and kickstarted his governmental career. He's made inflammatory comments crossed a fig of topics — from Islam to termination to feminism — but he's been particularly vocal connected LGBTQ+ issues. 

If elected, Robinson would go the archetypal Black politician of North Carolina. Former President Donald Trump, who endorsed Robinson for governor, has referred to him arsenic "Martin Luther King connected steroids."

The lieutenant politician blamed the CNN study connected his Democratic opponent, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein. 

"You each person seen the fractional truths and outright lies of Josh Stein," Robinson said, claiming that Stein leaked the communicative to CNN. 

The report's merchandise has spurred interest among Republicans astir their nominee's prospects successful the coming election. Sen. Ted Budd, a North Carolina Republican, told reporters up of its merchandise connected Thursday that "North Carolinian voters are smart, and they cognize however to prime each and each campaigner based connected their ain merits."

When asked whether Robinson should measurement down, Budd said helium didn't person capable information. 

"They've been assaulting him for years," Budd said earlier the nonfiction was published. "We're going to stitchery our facts done the weekend."

Cristina Corujo contributed to this report.