Senator JD Vance addressed the bombshell reports about Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina backed by Donald Trump, for the first time on Saturday. He told NBC News that accusations "aren't necessarily reality."
"Well, look, the allegations are pretty far out there, of course. But I know that allegations aren't necessarily reality. And what I'd say is, it's ultimately up to Mark Robinson and North Carolina whether he's going to be their governor and whether he wants to stay in the race. I'll let them make that decision," Vance said.
Vance was asked in Pennsylvania whether he felt "comfortable" with Mark Robinson as the Republican nominee for North Carolina governor, following a CNN report on Thursday that accused Robinson of using racist, antisemitic, and homophobic slurs in posts on a pornographic forum. He was also asked whether he believed Robinson's denial that he posted the comments, which have suddenly vanished from the site.
"I don't not believe him. I don't believe him. I just think that you have to let these things sometimes play out in the court of public opinion. He's going to make whatever arguments he wants to make. I'm sure the news media and others are going to investigate these comments further. I just think, fundamentally, it's Mark Robinson and the people of North Carolina that get to decide whether he's their governor," he said.
Meanwhile, Vance also mentioned that the Trump campaign currently has no plans to campaign with Robinson. The vice presidential nominee is scheduled to be in North Carolina on Monday. Although The Associated Press reported that Robinson will no longer attend Trump's rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday, the Trump campaign has not distanced itself from him. Brian Hughes, a senior adviser to Trump's campaign, denied reports that they have been pressuring Robinson to exit the race.
According to CNN, between 2008 and 2012, Robinson allegedly left comments on a porn site's message board, referring to himself as a "black NAZI," advocating for the return of slavery, and recalling incidents of "peeping" on women in gym showers during his teenage years, among other claims. Robinson has denied making the posts, suggesting they are fabricated, and has promised not to withdraw from the race.
Despite Robinson's history of anti-trans, anti-gay, anti-abortion, and antisemitic remarks, Trump has praised him, endorsing Robinson as "better than Martin Luther King [Jr.]" and describing him as an "outstanding person."
