Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson Sues CNN for Defamation
RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina's Republican lieutenant governor and gubernatorial nominee, Mark Robinson, filed a defamation lawsuit against CNN on Tuesday, seeking $50 million in damages. The lawsuit concerns a CNN report that linked Robinson to racist and sexually explicit comments on a pornographic website between 2008 and 2012.
The CNN report, published on Sept. 19, alleged that Robinson used the username "minisoldr" on the website "Nude Africa" and made comments describing himself as a "black NAZI," expressing support for slavery, and admitting to peeping on women as a teenager CNN connected Robinson to the account by analyzing usernames, email addresses, biographical details, and recurring phrases from his public X profile.
Robinson denies writing the posts and alleges that CNN published the information despite knowing his personal data had been compromised in previous data breaches. Robinson called the report a "high-tech lynching" during a press conference on Tuesday.
"We are glad to take these first steps to fight back against what we consider to be one of the greatest examples of political interference in this state’s history,” said Robinson.
Robinson’s lawyer, Jesse Binnall, called the CNN report a "journalistic hit job" but did not provide evidence contradicting CNN's reporting. Binnall said the lawsuit claims the data CNN used came from a dubious website and "hacked, data breach files, obtained from the dark web."
"We will use every tool at our disposal now that a lawsuit has been filed, including the subpoena power, in order to continue pursuing the facts," said Binnall.
The lawsuit also names Louis Money, a former clerk at a pornographic shop, as a defendant. Money previously told news outlets that Robinson was a regular customer at the shop, a claim Robinson denies The lawsuit claims Robinson only visited the shop occasionally to "socialize" with Money, who worked near a Papa John's where Robinson was employed.
Following the CNN report, many of Robinson's campaign and official staff resigned, and the Republican Governors Association withdrew its financial support. Although former President Donald Trump has not withdrawn his endorsement of Robinson, Robinson has not participated in any of Trump's events in North Carolina since the report.
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