'Ticking time bomb': Ex-Republican gov says warning signs about Mark Robinson were ignored
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson was always going to wreck things for the North Carolina Republican Party, former GOP Gov. Pat McCrory told CNN's Boris Sanchez on Friday.
Robinson, who was already controversial for a series of past statements questioning the Holocaust, attacking school shooting survivors, and several other issues, was exposed by CNN's KFILE as having called himself a "Black Nazi," fantasizing about owning slaves, and boasting about an affair with his wife's sister on a pornographic message board years before he entered politics. Robinson denies all of this and says he was framed by AI.
"I just want to point out to our viewers that you did not endorse Robinson," said Sanchez. "Former President Donald Trump has, though. You've actually been vocal for years now, warning that unsavory details about Robinson would come to light ... you lamented that those warnings were ignored. Why do you think they were?"
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"I think they were ignored because he was probably one of the most effective, populist, dangerous speakers that I've ever seen on a campaign trail," said McCrory.
McCrory said Robinson told people what they wanted to hear — not what they needed to hear.
"And people responded to him and therefore, the past chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, Michael Whatley, who's now chair of the national Republican Party, ignored many known flaws that many of us knew about him and just assumed they'd be brushed over. But this has been a ticking time bomb for several years now, and frankly, a lot of the things that have come out during the past year by conservative blogs about his business dealings along with his wife has raised enough issues that would disqualify many people for any elected office, whether you're Republican or Democrat. So it's very disturbing."
Despite all this, McCrory called Robinson a "powerful voice" with the MAGA base. And no one sought to put up a challenge.
McCrory said Robinson also participated in TV ads against him during a U.S. Senate race, which were "very, very effective and very convincing."
"They were not truthful. But this shows the power, powerful voice that he's had," said McCrory. "He's an individual that came out of nowhere to become lieutenant governor based upon a YouTube video, which shows the way politics is going at this point in time. But it was just a matter of time."
Moreover, McCrory concluded, "this story ... has come out at a terrible time for the republican party because it's now, it's too late as of yesterday to replace him," because the election is "starting in weeks, regarding early voting."
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