Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina, vowed to continue his campaign following a salacious CNN report unveiling comments he made on a pornography site’s message board.
Robinsons referred to himself as a “black NAZI” and admitted to watching transgender pornography on internet message boards over a decade ago, according to CNN. Under the username “minisoldr,” Robinson reportedly posted messages to the pornography site Nude Africa between 2008 and 2012.
Robinson denied the report in a video posted to his social media shortly before the story was published. The video statement followed Robinson canceling campaign events ahead of the story’s release.
“Let me reassure you, the things that you will 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 have been completely transparent in this race and before. Folks, this race right now, our opponents are desperate to shift the focus here from the substantive issues and focus on what you are concerned with to salacious trap, tabloid trash,” Robinson said.
Robinson said the CNN report was based on false claims trafficked by his Democratic opponent in the gubernatorial race, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein.