NC’s Mark Robinson drops lawsuit against CNN for reporting on graphic, racist comments

Former North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson announced Friday he is dropping his defamation lawsuit against CNN for its reporting linking him to a series of racist, disturbing and sexually graphic online comments.

“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,” Robinson said in a statement.

Robinson, a Republican who lost his race for governor in November, filed his lawsuit in October after CNN published a story tying him to online comments on a website called Nude Africa that included him saying he was a “Black NAZI” and would buy enslaved people if slavery came back.

In his statement Friday, Robinson also appeared to dispel rumors that he may challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis in 2026.

“I will not run next year, nor do I have plans to seek elected office in the future,” he said.

Robinson called CNN’s story “salacious tabloid trash” when it broke and denied making the comments, though he provided no evidence to suggest the outlet’s extensive reporting was false.

The story, which was published in mid-September, also showed Robinson using racial slurs to describe the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., repeatedly using homophobic slurs and admitting to “peeping” on women in gym showers when he was 14 years old.

Robinson initially sued CNN for $50 million, but reduced the damages he was seeking to “in excess of $25,000” after reporting from The Assembly noted that state law prohibits specifying any damages sought above this amount.

CNN moved Robinson’s lawsuit to federal court, though it never got to a hearing before he dropped the case.

The news comes nearly three months after Robinson lost his race for governor to Democrat Josh Stein by 15 percentage points.

Robinson was already trailing Stein in the polls when CNN’s story broke. Throughout the campaign and his tenure as lieutenant governor, Robinson became known for his insulting comments targeting women, teachers, LGBTQ people and more.

While Republicans largely endorsed his campaign, including President Donald Trump, calls mounted for him to end his campaign in the wake of CNN’s story — including from some in his own party.

He remained in the race, but most of his campaign and official staff quit and the Republican Governors Association withdrew its financial support.

Robinson won’t challenge Tillis

Robinson’s announcement also appeared to put to bed growing speculation that he was eyeing a Senate campaign next year.

“The fact of the matter is this: the price we have paid in entering the political arena will never be recognized,” he said in his statement. “There is no dollar amount high enough. 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 and Tillis frequently sparred and the senator endorsed Robinson’s opponent in the Republican primary.

After CNN’s story broke, Tillis said Robinson had an obligation to prove the reporting false.

“If the allegations put forth by KFile and CNN are false, get a really good attorney, come up with a modicum of evidence that disproves some of it, sue them and settle in court,” he said at the time. “If you’re not able to do that within a reasonable period of time, then it puts weight to the likely reality that some, maybe not all, but some of these allegations are true, and if they are, they’re devastating and disqualifying.”

This story was originally published January 31, 2025 at 12:14 PM.

Kyle Ingram

The News & Observer

Kyle Ingram is the Democracy Reporter for the News & Observer. He reports on voting rights, election administration, the state judicial branch and more. He is a graduate of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at UNC-Chapel Hill.