A Final Goodbye To the Short, Unhappy Career of Mark Robinson

 

Last October 15, North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson sued CNN for defamation over its report that he made explicit racial and sexual posts on a pornography website’s message board. (CNN based its item on prior reporting by Bryan Anderson at The Assembly.) "CNN chose to publish despite knowing or recklessly disregarding that Lt. Gov. Robinson’s data — including his name, date of birth, passwords, and the email address supposedly associated with the NudeAfrica account — were previously compromised by multiple data breaches,” the lawsuit claimed. Robinson also called CNN's reporting a “high-tech lynching” of a candidate “who has been targeted from Day 1 by folks who disagree with me politically and want to see me destroyed.”

Robinson had hired Jesse R. Binnall, a well known trumpist litigator and a partner in the Binnall Law Group of Alexandria, Va., to represent him and find out (O.J. Simpson style) who in the world who wasn't Mark Robinson had posted those outrageous comments on porn sites under Robinson's own screen name Minisoldr.

Yesterday, Robinson tacitly admitted his defamation suit was all political theater. He ended it on Twitter with a whimper and called on Jesus like any guilty politician would: 

"The words of our Savior, along with the earthly reality that costly litigation and political gamesmanship by my detractors makes clear that continuing to pursue retribution from CNN is a futile effort. That is why I have asked Jesse Binnall and his legal team to terminate any continued attempt to litigate with CNN on my or my family’s behalf."

Robinson confirmed via X that he will not run for Senate next year and does not plan to take office in the future.

Rachel Hunt Promises To Clean Out Mark Robinson's Office with Hydrogen Peroxide

 

Thomas Mills Dismantles Senator Thom Tillis

 

From the title -- "Some Hot Tillis-on-Robinson Action" -- to the last paragraph, which is bitter, the bitter end, this piece of writing makes a master class in Swiftian sarcasm, that form of irony that tears flesh, or seeks to. Political commentator and long-time Democratic operative Thomas Mills takes down Sen. Thom Tillis as a hypocrite in epaulets, a self-described "SERIOUS PERSON" who theatrically sez he upholds Truth and the American Way, but who turns out substantial as cardboard. That "SERIOUS PERSON" mainly shows up, says Mills, "when Republicans are about to do something bad or stupid. He puffs up, issues muscular declarations, and promptly folds like a cheap tent." 

Mills has the receipts on those "folds," times when the senator announced a policy principal he would not breach and then breached it. Like when he wrote an editorial opposing Trump's declaration of emergency at the border -- the better to divert Federal funds to his wall -- and then promptly repented, after a dose of fury from MAGA loyalists who'll crucify anybody who offends Trump. Tillis had to swallow a lot more than his tongue to take it all back. He's abandoned his stated principles on immigration compromise more than once. It's the Tillis straddle: feint to the left with condemnation of a clown like Mark Robinson and then to the right with continued obeisance to El Hefe: 

Tillis doubles down on his support for Donald Trump who is now focused on fleecing his supporters by selling commemorative coins and $100,000 Trump watches. That’s what you call Republican coalition building. The grifter wing of the party is taking advantage of the rube wing and everybody is happy. That is some serious, principled shit.

 Sen. Tillis, according to Mills, is pure show but with muddled intentions: 

While other [Republican] candidates are trying to avoid talking about Nude Africa, Tillis is delivering vague ultimatums that sound tough, just like his op-ed and principled support of the immigration bill he voted against. Just follow his lead. Let reporters and others know about your grave concerns and hint at skepticism about Robinson’s denials.

With "SERIOUS PERSON" (always ALL CAPS) Mills puts a verbal duncecap on Sen. Tillis, mocking his occasional and sudden eruptions of principle even while sticking with a party "full of tinfoil hats, snake oil salesmen, and rubes." 

Sen. Tillis seeks reporters' ears to sound-bite strategically like a maverick in a party that despises mavericks. He suffered a censure by the NCGOP, yet he's become something of a bridge-builder behind the scenes in the Senate. Somehow, he persists, even after his privates hit the top rail of the fence he's been straddling, maybe largely because Trump hasn't sicced his dogs on him. (Remember what Trump did to independent John McCain and to Liz Cheney and to several others.)

Did I say the end of Mills's piece is bitter? He makes a point of speaking directly to Mark Robinson about Sen. Tillis's very recent ultimatum that Robinson either disproves "the CNN lies" or steps down: 

Hang in there, Mark. Don’t let the haters and the RINOs get you down .... Just grit it out, because even if you lose, you can run against Thom Tillis in 2026.

You know what I think? I think Thom Tillis would love to be a Democrat and actually hates being a Republican, especially right now when the Party-under-Trump appears to be sitting in an airless booth pleasuring itself with peculiar fantasies.

She's Always Enjoyed the Shadow of Big Men

 

Virginia Foxx had to request that photo, of course. He didn't have a clue who she was.

The Lawyer Mark Robinson Hired

 

Jesse R. Binnall

Mark Robinson announced on Tuesday that he has hired Jesse R. Binnall, a well known trumpist litigator and a partner in the Binnall Law Group of Alexandria, Va., to find out who in the world who isn't Mark Robinson was posting outrageous comments on porn sites under Robinson's own screen name Minisoldr.

According to The Daily Beast, Binnall represented Trump after the 2020 election in his failed attempt to overturn the electoral vote in Nevada, and he also was "one of several lawyers Trump hired to represent him in his failed racketeering lawsuit against Hillary Clinton. In January 2023, a judge in Florida ordered the case thrown out and fined Trump and another attorney, Alina Habba, $1 million for filing a frivolous lawsuit." Binnall has (so far) escaped any sanctions imposed by judges and bar associations, unlike many of the other lawyers who've worked for Trump. According to the Fund for Investigative Journalism, Binnall has been previously paid at least $4.2 million by the Trump campaign. "Even after the Jan. 6 insurrection, Binnall continued to spread false claims of voter fraud."

Binnall was one of several lawyers who represented retired Gen. Michael Flynn when he withdrew his guilty plea for lying to the FBI, ABC News reported. Flynn was eventually pardoned by then-President Trump that December [of 2020]."

In other words, Binnall may be exactly what Robinson needs, someone adept at pointing the finger elsewhere.

BREAKING: Half of Robinson's Lt. Gov. Staff Quits

 

Bryan Anderson is now reporting that half of Mark Robinson's staff assigned to the Lieutenant Governor's office has now quit, including his chief of staff.

A Thumbs-Up That Will Live in Infamy

 

This billboard is going up in some NC locations, two in Mint Hill alone, where Trump is scheduled to make an appearance today at a -- wait for it -- plumbing supply business.

Does It Take a Know-Nothing Party To Invite This Pariah?

 

Mark Robinson has stopped listing events on his website. The invitation below is reportedly being sent out by the Ashe GOP, of which our former House Rep. Jonathan Jordan is an impotent member.

Sometimes, A Double-Negative Is an Escape Hatch Sufficient To The Day

REPORTER: Do you believe Mark Robinson that those were not his posts?

 JD VANCE: I don't not believe him.

--https://x.com/atrupar/status/1837856354779746322

Meanwhile, Vance's fellow Republican Senator Ted Budd told CBS17, “The comments reported in the article are disgusting. Mark Robinson says they are not from him. He needs to prove that to the voters.” 

"He needs to prove it's not him."

After the CNN bombshell last Thursday, WNCN reported that Rep. Virginia Foxx, GOP candidate for Labor Commissioner Luke Farley, and GOP congressional candidate for NC 01 Laurie Buckhout were all busily scrubbing their social media of any pictures of them posing with Mark Robinson, or other vestiges of his actual existence in their individual lives.

When Thom Tillis Looks Like a Statesman, It Can't Be Good for the NCGOP

 

CNN Capitol Hill reporter Manu Raju got Thom Tillis on the record about Mark Robinson, and Tillis went further than he's gone before. Meanwhile, the NCGOP issued a statement (posted earlier) defending Robinson and his "quirks of personality." Here's Raju's tweet:

Thom Tillis, the senior NC GOP senator, told me that Mark Robinson needs to provide evidence by Friday refuting the damaging information about his posts on a porn site — or the party needs to “move on” and focus on Trump and down-ticket races. 

“If Mr. Robinson doesn't put forth facts as part of a lawsuit that would discredit the sources by this week, then we've got to move on. We've got an election that's 40 days away, and we've got to move on,” he said, suggesting endorsements should be rescinded. 

(Trump has yet to rescind endorsement.) 

Asked Tillis if he thinks Robinson can win, and he said: “I supported a primary opponent against Mr. Robinson because I didn't think he could win the race then, and I was working with far less information than I'm in possession of now. And I'm hoping he discredits that information.”

I'm hoping. How forlorn is that? 

Mark Robinson Expected at Blue Ridge Diner

Sizable crowd -- judging from the number of cars there -- already gathered at the Blue Ridge Diner about 15 minutes before candidate Mark Robinson's expected arrival time of 2:30. Very full parking lot (which isn't that extensive, but still).

This morning Thomas Mills characterized the cult-like MAGA following that will vote for Robinson no matter what.

Over in Republicanland, the rank and file seems largely ignorant of Mark Robinson’s escapades at the Nude Africa porn site. Those who know about it, believe it’s another media hit piece. An online activist demanded that GOP elected officials issue statements of support for Robinson or else, though none are forthcoming....

North Carolina Republican candidates and elected officials are distancing themselves .... And they are hoping their MAGA base won’t notice. They’re not an inquisitive bunch, easy marks. They’ve been trained to believe lies and readily embrace batshit crazy conspiracy theories. Maybe they’ll believe that Robinson is a victim of an AI smear campaign....

Watching the cult turn out for Robinson is giving new significance to the descriptive term "low information" voters. 

Pouring Gasoline on a Dumpster Fire

 

Jack Burkman, from Wikipedia

Thomas Mills is reporting this morning on his Substack column:

If rumors are true, the Mark Robinson campaign is about to get even more fun. Jack Burkman, who Wikipedia describes as a “conspiracy theorist, fraudster, convicted felon, and conservative lobbyist,” claims he is now Robinson’s campaign manager. Burkman is a disbarred lawyer who was found guilty of intimidating voters. He’s like a low-rent Roger Stone with less scruples and better suits. He’ll bring gasoline to the dumpster fire and squeeze as much money as possible out of the saps still supporting Robinson.

 

Robinson's Entire Campaign Staff Quits

 

As of this morning, Mark Robinson had only two PR people and one bodyguard still working for him. These others had already resigned by Sunday afternoon:

Conrad Pogorzelski III, who was Robinson’s general consultant and senior advisor. He has been known as the main person behind Robinson’s campaign

Chris Rodriguez, Robinson’s campaign manager

Heather Whillier, Robinson’s finance director

Jason Rizk, deputy campaign manager

Patrick Riley, Robinson’s director of operations

John Kontoulas and Jackson Lohrer, political directors 

Bureau of the Disappeared

 

Robinson, Trump, with Hal Weatherman,
Republican candidate for Lt. Gov.

Last Wednesday, the day before CNN dropped its story on blabbermouth Mark Robinson's habit of sharing all sorts of opinions unrelated to naked flesh on a porn site, operatives in the NCGOP already knew something bad was coming, so Robinson was nowhere in sight -- nor apparently in memory -- at J.D. Vance's rally in Raleigh. By Friday, with the uproar over Robinson's extracurricular activities making headlines nationwide, Robinson was also not present at Trump's rally in Wilmington. Not only was former Trump BFF Robinson not present, Trump didn't even remember his name while he introduced Ted Budd and Dan Bishop.

According to the Facebook page for the Fayetteville Motor Speedway, Robinson was scheduled for an appearance there Saturday evening. That post garnered six approving comments, none of which seemed to know a thing about the news or didn't give a flip. The crowd revealed in video shot by the Fayetteville Observer seemed both sparse and uninspired, and I couldn't help noting that Robinson spoke to the bleachers from behind a very high metal fence. He looked imprisoned by it.

Meanwhile, Sen. Thom Tillis pressed his thumb into Robinson's sorest muscle, suggesting that if the CNN report was untrue -- as Robinson has alleged -- then Robinson should sue the network. Tillis then made it pretty clear that he for one believed the report: Robinson "owes it to President Trump and every Republican to take accountability for his actions and put the future of NC & our party before himself" -- by dropping out of the race. Ouch.

WFAE columnist Tommy Tomlinson made a not unreasonable -- actually logical -- psychological assessment of why Robinson would use a porn site message board for shocking comments:

He says and does all these outrageous things in the desperate hope that someone will notice.

How lonely and removed from society do you have to be to be a regular commenter on a porn site’s message board?

How much do you need to be seen to call yourself a “black NAZI” or comment that you wish for the return of slavery?

Robinson doesn’t have a following like Trump does. All he has is absolute control of Trump’s shirt. And I suspect even Trump’s people are in the process of getting rid of him.

From what Robinson has said and written, he had a difficult childhood, including a stint in foster care. I don’t know if that’s what left him with such a deep desire for attention. For voters, it probably doesn’t matter.

But I wonder what he thinks now about the day that changed his life.

In 2018, as a private citizen, he gave an impassioned pro-gun speech at a Greensboro City Council meeting. That speech went viral, and he was invited to so many speaking engagements that he quit his job. Just two years later, he was elected lieutenant governor. Suddenly, everyone was paying attention to Mark Robinson.

And now, one election cycle later, his private life has been exposed, his reputation is in tatters and his political career is, more than likely, over.

Sometimes the worst day of your life is the day you get what you want.

 

NCGOP Sez It's Just a Personality Thing (That Clears Everything Up!)

 

CNN Got the Goods on Mark Robinson

 

It's more than definitive: CNN slapped the table with the receipts. Read the lengthy investigation yourownself, if you doubt.

Robinson in his preemptive video production yesterday, hoping to get ahead of the story, tried to suggest that some clever liberal operative used A.I. to fake everything, and had the forethought to do it a decade ago because said operative knew that one day Mark Robinson would be running for governor as a version of The Scourge of God. That's one howler of a defense.

We can now add to Robinson's other descriptive nouns both "Black Nazi" and self-confessed creep ("perv").

You've finally out-done yourselves, NCGOP!

BREAKING: Republican Establishment Trying To Force Robinson Out of the Race?

 

The fact that Carolina Journal published this is pretty darn consequential, considering that Carolina Journal represents the Art Pope/Civitas machine.

North Carolina Republicans are bracing Thursday morning as word spreads about a damning news story looming regarding Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.

Sources with direct knowledge have spoken with Carolina Journal on the condition of anonymity and said that Robinson is under pressure from staff and members of the Trump campaign to withdraw from the governor’s race due to the nature of the story, which they say involves activity on adult websites in 2000s.

According to sources, Robinson has resisted withdrawing and privately denies the story.

In an email to Carolina Journal shortly after this story posted, Michael Lonergan, communications director for the Mark Robinson for Governor campaign wrote, “Whomever your sources are here, it is complete fiction.”

Thursday evening is the state deadline to withdraw from the race. The deadline to remove Robinson’s name from the ballot already has passed. There are just four weeks to go until early voting, and absentee ballots are due to go in the mail Friday.

According to the sources, the campaign of Attorney General Josh Stein, Robinson’s opponent in the race for North Carolina’s Executive Mansion, leaked the story to CNN and local Raleigh news outlet, WRAL. It is expected to hit airwaves later on Thursday.

Also according to the anonymous source, earlier this week leaders in the Trump campaign privately told Robinson that he was not welcome at rallies for Trump or vice presidential candidate JD Vance. He was slated to speak at the Vance appearance on Wednesday, but his office announced that Robinson had tested positive for COVID.

 

No Debate Between Josh Stein and Mark Robinson

 

Bryan Anderson is reporting this morning that Josh Stein turned Mark Robinson down flat for a debate, once Robinson had a (panicked) change of heart and more or less demanded that Stein debate him, probably because Robinson is trailing Stein about 10 points in the polls. A debate would give Robinson much greater exposure than his usual hang-outs in churches and good-ole-boy eatin joints.

“I’m challenging you to a debate right now, Josh Stein,” Robinson said in a video posted on X. “Come on down. Let’s do this mano a mano and let’s get it done.”

Hours later, Stein’s campaign announced there’d be no debate with Robinson.

“A debate would only serve to legitimize him and provide a platform for his vile and dangerous rhetoric, and we won’t be part of that,” said Kate Frauenfelder, a Stein spokeswoman.

Stein’s apparent change of heart might reflect a growing body of polls showing him leading Robinson by about 10 percentage points.

Gary Pearce, a retired Democratic political operative, said he’d advise Stein not to debate Robinson.

“I don’t think [debates] matter much, don’t think that many people watch, don’t think undecided voters are watching it, and I don’t think you ought to give a platform to people who lie and spew hate and bigotry,” Pearce said.

Thomas Mills had also posted just this morning that Stein need not throw Robinson a "lifeline" by debating him. 

Mark Robinson, Singing the Blues

 

Indebted to S.V. Date for exposing this fundraising email sent from the Mark Robinson for Governor campaign.

Robinson, Wrapped Around the Axle

 

“I have not changed my view about abortion, but I’ve changed my approach to it.” 

--Mark Robinson, candidate for Governor, on WBT's “Good Morning BT with Bo Thompson & Beth Troutman”

"I have not changed my mind about eliminating humanity, but I've changed my approach to it. No thunder or lightning."

--Jehovah, to Noah

"The trick is not to approach at all." 

--Abbie Hoffman 

With Trump's calling Kamala Harris a communist, and now Mark Robinson's saying he's sorry for preaching too much and too loudly on abortion, the 2024 Blue Wave is looking more formidable by the day. Especially so, when men like Robinson attempt empathy and display only a creepy paternalism and condescension toward women:

“I've changed my approach to [abortion] because I really believe that if I’m a person who is seen as an individual who’s standing on a stage pointing down at a young woman saying, ‘You can’t have an abortion,’ that is not the right approach. The right approach is to come down off the stage, embrace that young woman, and tell them about the reasons why I believe she should choose life, and then ultimately leaving it up to her based on the laws that we have on the books.”

Yeah, that's the ticket, Mr. Robinson, mansplaining to a young woman, who knows her own mind, how you of all humans available to her know what's best.