North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has withdrawn his defamation lawsuit against CNN, stemming from a report alleging he made explicit posts on a pornography website. Robinson, who lost his gubernatorial bid in November, denied the allegations and initiated the lawsuit, but ultimately chose to dismiss the case, citing the 'costly litigation' and 'political gamesmanship' involved.
Republican North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has voluntarily dismissed his defamation lawsuit against CNN . The lawsuit stemmed from a September CNN report alleging that Robinson made explicit posts on a pornography website's message board over a decade ago. Robinson, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in November, had repeatedly denied writing the posts identified in the CNN story. He filed the lawsuit a few weeks later, but the case has now been dismissed.
In a statement, Robinson cited a Bible verse while saying that “costly litigation and political gamesmanship by my detractors makes clear that continuing to pursue retribution from CNN is a futile effort.' “It is more honorable to bury an injury than to revenge it,” Robinson said. “While it has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of North Carolina, the continued political persecution of my family and loved ones is a cost I am unwilling to continue to bear.” Robinson was considered a rising star in the Republican Party following his unexpected election victory in 2020 — his first bid for elected office — that made him the state's first Black lieutenant governor. On Friday, Robinson also said “I will not run next year, nor do I have plans to seek elected office in the future.” Robinson had been mentioned as a potential GOP primary opponent to U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis in 2026. CNN’s report said Robinson made statements on the message board at the website NudeAfrica in which he referred to himself as a “black NAZI” and said he enjoyed transgender pornography. The report said Robinson wrote that he preferred Adolf Hitler to then-President Barack Obama and slammed the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as “worse than a maggot.” Robinson already had a history of inflammatory comments on abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. The CNN report nearly collapsed his gubernatorial campaign. Fellow Republicans distanced themselves from him, campaign donations dried up, and a Robinson campaign report shows that through December it had had paid $117,000 to a Virginia law firm that helped him sue. Robinson lost to Democrat Josh Stein in November by almost 15 percentage points, and his four-year term was completed at the end of December.In legal briefs, Robinson's attorneys alleged that CNN had rushed to run its report without contacting the owner of the NudeAfrica website to confirm what it had found. He said the website had been hacked several years ago and ran on vulnerable, outdated software. CNN's attorneys had moved the state case to federal court and argued that Robinson failed to meet the legal standard for the defamation of a public official. Generally speaking, a public official claiming defamation must show the defendant knew the statement was false or that it was made with reckless disregard for the truth. The CNN lawyers described the efforts that network journalists made to connect Robinson to a username on the NudeAfrica site and wrote recently that the network wasn't “obligated to conduct the investigation in the manner he would have preferred.” The CNN story said the network matched details of the account on the message board to other online accounts held by Robinson by comparing usernames, an email address and his full name. The details discussed by the account holder also matched details about Robinson's life, a CNN brief said. And CNN said it found matches of figures of speech used by both the NudeAfrica account holder and in Robinson’s social media posts. Robinson also sued in the same lawsuit Louis Love Money, a former porn shop worker who alleged in a music video and a media interview that for several years starting in the 1990s, Robinson frequented a porn shop where Money worked and that Robinson purchased porn videos from him. Robinson said that was untrue. Money said he stood by his comments. Claims against Money also were dismissed Friday.
POLITICS DEFAMATION LAW SUIT MARK ROBINSON CNN NORTH CAROLINA
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Mark Robinson Retires from Politics, Drops Defamation Suit Against CNNFormer North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson has announced his retirement from politics and the withdrawal of his defamation lawsuit against CNN. Robinson cited the 'costly litigation and political gamesmanship' as reasons for ending both pursuits. The announcement comes following controversy surrounding allegations made by CNN that Robinson made inflammatory comments on a pornography website a decade ago. Robinson denied the allegations but ultimately lost the 2024 gubernatorial race.
Read more »
Robinson Drops Lawsuit Against CNN Over DefamationNorth Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit against CNN over a report alleging he made inflammatory and explicit posts on a pornography website's message board. Robinson, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in November, maintained his innocence throughout the legal battle, citing political persecution as a reason for dropping the suit.
Read more »
CNN Revives Streaming Service After CNN Plus ShutdownCNN is launching a new streaming service, aiming to capitalize on the growing demand for digital news consumption. This comes after the short-lived CNN Plus, which shut down in 2022. CEO Mark Thompson's memo details plans for original programming and partnerships, while also announcing a shift towards digital video and a lifestyle-oriented digital product. The company will also undergo layoffs affecting approximately 200 employees.
Read more »
Musk Calls for Farage's Resignation, Citing Robinson DisputeElon Musk has called for Nigel Farage's resignation as leader of Reform UK, citing the ongoing controversy surrounding Tommy Robinson. Musk and Farage have differing views on Robinson, who is currently in prison. Musk believes Robinson is a victim of political persecution, while Farage maintains that Robinson, a former BNP activist, is not aligned with Reform UK's principles.
Read more »
Whitney Cummings Roasts CNN’s Ratings During CNN NYE Special: ‘I’m Playing 3,000-Seat Theaters, Which Is the Viewership of CNN’Source of breaking news and analysis, insightful commentary and original reporting, curated and written specifically for the new generation of independent and conservative thinkers.
Read more »
Elon Musk Amplifies Support for Far-Right Activist Tommy RobinsonTesla CEO Elon Musk has significantly increased his online support for British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, posting numerous times in favor of Robinson and criticizing the UK government. Robinson, known for his anti-Islam rhetoric and anti-immigrant views, has been a target of controversy and legal action.
Read more »