Last month, CNN reported that North Carolina lieutenant governor Mark Robinson -- currently the GOP nominee for governor -- frequented porn sites two decades ago and left racist and misogynist comments on the content, including identifying as a "black Nazi." Robinson vehemently denied the allegations at the time, and managed to survive a last-minute attempt to replace him on the ballot. Nevertheless, Robinson's polling has nose-dived in a state where Republicans are usually competitive, and he now trails Democrat Josh Stein by 16 points.
Today, Robinson fired back, launching a $50 million defamation suit against CNN and presumably reporter Andrew Kaczynski. Robinson and his attorney claim that CNN ignored potentially contradictory evidence of identity theft and published the material with actual malice:
That's not to say that Robinson can't prove his case, but defamation claims involving public figures -- especially political figures -- have to clear a really high threshold.
Robinson needs to make a political case against these allegations more than a legal case.
Last month, CNN reported that North Carolina lieutenant governor Mark Robinson -- currently the GOP nominee for governor -- frequented porn sites two decades ago and left racist and misogynist comments on the content, including identifying as a "black Nazi."
Robinson, who would be the state’s first Black governor if elected, called the report a “high-tech lynching” against a candidate “who has been targeted from Day 1 by folks who disagree with me politically and want to see me destroyed.” The lawsuit also targets a punk-band leader in Greensboro.
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