Sen. Tillis issues ultimatum to embattled GOP candidate in crucial swing state: ‘Owes it to President Trump’
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., issued an ultimatum to North Carolina's GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson following the bombshell report of his alleged porn scandal, saying that he "owes it to President Trump."
"If the reporting on Mark Robinson is a total media fabrication, he needs to take immediate legal action," Tillis said in a Friday post on X.
"If the reporting is true, he owes it to President Trump and every Republican to take accountability for his actions and put the future of NC & our party before himself," he said.
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Tillis' statement came after Robinson made a social media video denying his involvement in the scandal and vowing to remain in the race to become the Old North State's governor.
"Let me reassure you, the things that you will see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson. You know my words, you know my character, and you know that I have been completely transparent in this race and before. Folks, this race right now, our opponents are desperate to shift the focus here from the substantive issues and focus on what you are concerned with to salacious trap, tabloid trash," he said in the X video.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Robinson's campaign for comment.
In comments to CNN, Robinson said that this was "not us."
"This is not us. These are not our words. And this is not anything that is characteristic of me," Robinson said. "I’m not going to get into the minutia of how somebody manufactured this, these salacious tabloid lies."
In CNN's report Thursday afternoon, the outlet alleged Robinson's previous use of a pornography site, called "Nude Africa."
On the pornographic site, Robinson allegedly messaged with fellow users regarding peeping on women in locker rooms as a teenager, describing himself as a "black NAZI" and declaring a fondness for transgender pornography. The candidates' involvement spanned from 2008 to 2012, according to CNN, well before Robinson entered the political arena in 2019.
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CNN's report alleged that Robinson used a pseudonym on the porn site, "minisoldr."
"I came to a spot that was a dead end but had two big vent covers over it! It just so happened it overlooked the showers! I sat there for about an hour and watched as several girls came in and showered," Robinson allegedly wrote on Nude Africa.
In another post in 2010, CNN reported Robinson allegedly stated, "I’m a Black Nazi!" while discussing Black Republicans.
The allegations come as North Carolina remains a highly contested battleground state as the 2024 election inches closer.
The key battleground states – including North Carolina – had razor-thin margins that decided President Biden's 2020 election victory over Trump.
In 2020, Trump narrowly won North Carolina by just over 1 point. The latest polls in the monumental 2024 presidential race suggest a coin-toss race, with the former president holding the slightest edge.
Fox News Digital's Emma Colton, Paul Steinhauser and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.