4 Mark Robinson campaign staffers resign in wake of report on porn website posts

At least four top staffers in North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson's campaign for governor have resigned in the wake of a report about posts he allegedly made on a porn website more than a decade ago. 

Just three days after CNN published a report that Robinson had allegedly previously made salacious comments, including referring to himself as a "black Nazi," on pornographic websites dating back to the late 2000s, his campaign released a statement on Sunday confirming that staff in various senior roles had stepped down. 

Conrad Pogorzelski III, who served as a general consultant and senior advisor; Chris Rodriguez, the campaign manager; Heather Whillier, the finance director; and Jason Rizk, who served as deputy campaign manager, have all resigned. The campaign promised new staffing announcements would be made soon. 

"I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign, and I wish them well in their future endeavors. I look forward to announcing new staff roles in the coming days," Robinson said in a statement. "My campaign will continue to focus on the substantive issues at stake in this election: building an economy that grows from Murphy to Manteo; cutting taxes and eliminating unnecessary red-tape; removing politics out of our classrooms; and cracking down on violent crime and dangerous drugs." 

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Robinson still expressed optimism that he could win in November over Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Stein, the sitting state attorney general. 

"Polls have consistently underestimated Republican support in North Carolina for several cycles now and with a large portion of the electorate still undecided as we continue to ramp up our efforts across the state, I am confident our campaign remains in a strong position to make our case to the voters and win on November 5," Robinson said. 

According to his campaign website, Robinson is scheduled to appear for an event on Monday morning in Wilkesboro, North Carolina

The CNN report on Thursday unearthed past posts it said Robinson left on a porn site’s message boards in which he allegedly referred to himself as a "black NAZI;" said he enjoyed transgender pornography; said in 2012 he preferred Hitler to then-President Obama; and slammed the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as "worse than a maggot."

Robinson denied writing the posts and said Thursday that he would not be forced out of the race by "salacious tabloid lies." 

"You all have seen the half-truths and outright lies of Josh Stein on these ads over and over again – and now a story leaked by him to CNN is appearing now. 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," Robinson said in a video message. "Clarence Thomas famously once said he was the victim of a high-tech lynching. Well, it looks like Mark Robinson is too by a man who refuses to stand on stage and debate me about real issues that face you." 

Robinson avoided directly discussing the controversy during a gubernatorial campaign event on Saturday evening at a racetrack in Fayetteville, the Associated Press reported. 

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The event happened after former President Trump did not mention Robinson at a rally about 90 miles away in Wilmington earlier in the day. Before Saturday, Robinson had been a frequent presence at Trump’s North Carolina campaign stops. The Republican presidential nominee endorsed Robinson, who would be North Carolina's first Black governor if elected, in the primary. 

Stein said Sunday on CNN’s "State of the Union" that Robinson is "utterly unqualified, unfit to be the governor of North Carolina, and we’re going to do everything in our power to keep that from happening."

On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on NBC’s "Meet the Press" that Robinson deserves a chance to defend himself against the allegations, which Graham described as "unnerving." He said Robinson is "a political zombie if he does not offer a defense to this that’s credible," while arguing that either way, this would not cost Trump the battleground state. 

"If they’re true, he’s unfit to serve for office," Graham said of the allegations. "If they’re not true, he has the best lawsuit in the history of the country for libel."

Polls show Trump and Vice President Harris locked in a close race in North Carolina and nationally. Democrats have seized on the opportunity to highlight Trump’s ties to Robinson, with billboards showing the two together and a new ad from Harris’ campaign highlighting the Republican candidates’ ties.

Fox News' Matthew Reidy and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Taylor Swift fans worry for Travis Kelce as he looks downcast during game

Taylor Swift was not in the building for the Kansas City Chiefs’ game against the Atlanta Falcons, but her fans tried to drum up some support for her boyfriend, Travis Kelce.

Kelce did not have a great start to the game as he was not targeted in the first half, though he appeared to be open and ready to receive a Patrick Mahomes pass a few times during the first two quarters.

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The NBC broadcast showed Kelce looking downcast on the bench as he reviewed some film with 59 seconds to go before halftime. Swifties definitely had their concerns.

At the start of the second half, even NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth could not believe the Chiefs were not doing more to get Kelce involved.

"I'm just flabbergasted. I mean, one game, big deal. Two games, alright. This is the third game now where we have not seen the magic of Mahomes and Kelce and I can’t really explain that one," he said.

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Mahomes came out of the half targeting Kelce immediately. He finished the game with four catches on five targets for 30 yards.

Kansas City won the game 22-17.

Kelce came into the game with four catches on seven targets for 39 yards.

It has been one of the worst starts to a season in his career.

Kelce was hurt in the first game of the 2023 season. When he finally got on the field, he had four catches on nine targets for 26 yards. He had a touchdown. In his second game, he had seven catches on eight targets for 69 yards and also had one touchdown.

The 34-year-old star player, who is nearing his 35th birthday, is looking exactly like that – a 35-year-old football player getting older by the week.

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