Just days after a CNN report outlining evidence that North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson made disturbing posts on a pornography website’s message board more than a decade ago, several key people in the Republican’s campaign for governor stepped down, his campaign announced Sunday afternoon.
Conrad Pogorzelski III, general consultant and senior advisor; Chris Rodriguez, campaign manager; Heather Whillier, finance director; and Jason Rizk, deputy campaign manager “have stepped down from their roles” with the campaign, a news release said just after 5 p.m.
In his first public appearance since Thursday’s CNN report, Robinson spent several minutes Saturday evening speaking and leading a prayer at the Fayetteville Motor Speedway. He didn’t mention the CNN report or answer questions from reporters on hand.
The Sunday campaign announcement did not elaborate on the departure of the senior staffers. In Sunday’s announcement, the campaign said new staffing would be released “soon.”
Robinson also included comments in the news release Sunday.
“I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign, and I wish them well in their future endeavors. I look forward to announcing new staff roles in the coming days,” the news release said.