Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), former President Donald Trump's running mate, wouldn't say Saturday whether he believed North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R-North Carolina)'s assertion that he did not post any inflammatory comments linked to him in a bombshell new CNN report.
“Well, obviously, the allegations are pretty far-fetched, but we know that those allegations aren't necessarily reality,” Vance said. an NBC Philadelphia reporter asked. Whether he is comfortable with Robinson remaining the Republican candidate for governor, despite the recent allegations.
“And what I will say is that ultimately it's up to Mark Robinson and the people of North Carolina whether he becomes governor and whether he continues to run,” Vance continued. “I'll leave that decision up to them.”
CNN published a shocking report about Robinson on Thursday, revealing that more than a decade ago he had made a variety of inflammatory comments on a pornography site, including calling himself a “black Nazi” and calling for the reinstatement of slavery.
The posts were made by an account with the username “minisoldr,” which CNN identified as Robinson's. CNN noted that the account listed Robinson's full name, that he had used an email address and username linked to Robinson elsewhere, and that the account contained biographical details that CNN said matched his profile.
Robinson strongly denied the reports and said he would continue to campaign despite concerns within his own party about the feasibility of doing so. Preemptive Video Shortly before the article was published, he posted a comment on social platform X denying the allegations in the upcoming article and accusing his Democratic opponent of leaking it.
Asked on Saturday whether he believed Robinson's claims that the posts were not his, Vance said, “It's not that I don't believe him, I just think these things sometimes should be tried in the court of public opinion.”
“He's going to say whatever he wants to say, and I have no doubt that the press and other media will be investigating these comments further,” Vance continued. “Fundamentally, I think Mark Robinson and the people of North Carolina have the right to decide whether or not he's fit to be governor, and that's what we're going to focus on.”
The Hill has reached out to Vance's staff for comment.
