Former North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who lost his gubernatorial bid in November amid a cloud of scandal and controversy, dropped his libel lawsuit against CNN and said he has no visions of running for public office in the future.
Robinson made the announcement in a series of posts to X on Friday.
In September, CNN published a story detailing comments its investigation traced to Robinson on a pornography website some 10 years earlier, where he purportedly called himself a “black NAZI” and a “perv” among other posts that sparked backlash. Robinson denied making the comments and filed suit against CNN in October seeking $50 million in damages, calling the report “salacious lies.”
Republican leaders, including then-GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, distanced themselves from Robinson, who went on to get soundly defeated by North Carolina Democrat Josh Stein, who earned nearly 55% of the vote in the Nov. 5 gubernatorial election.
On Friday, Robinson said he instructed his legal team to “terminate any continued attempt to litigate with CNN on my or my family’s behalf.”
“The words of our Savior, along with the earthly reality that costly litigation and political gamesmanship by my detractors makes clear that continuing to pursue retribution from CNN is a futile effort,” he said in one post to X.
Robinson’s name had been floated as a possible primary challenger to Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., in 2026, Politico reported, but Robinson doused that speculation.
“I will not run next year, nor do I have plans to seek elected office in the future,” he said in another post.
He added, “Until we change the hearts and souls of those inside the political arena, it is unlikely the political process itself will undergo any meaningful change.”
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