NEW: ‘Full Scale’ Investigation Launched Into CNN

CNN is being put on blast by Mark Robinson, the embattled North Carolina lieutenant governor and Republican gubernatorial nominee, after he promised a “full scale” investigation into “allegations” the news outlet made about him.

The world of U.S. politics was caught by storm after CNN’s explosive article alleging that Robinson once described himself as a “Black Nazi” decades ago, all anecdotes that Robinson forcefully denied. On Thursday he announced the hiring of litigious Trump attorney Jesse Binnall to spearhead the probe of CNN’s reporting. “I fully expect the facts are going to come to light quickly, and I intend to utilize every available means to hold CNN accountable for what they have done. The media is working hand-in-hand with Josh Stein to distract the public from the real issues facing the great people of North Carolina,” Robinson wrote in a statement on X.

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“Anything other than a vote for the FULL REPUBLICAN TICKET is a vote for Josh Stein and his record of bloodshed, lawlessness and failure. The choice is obvious, folks.”

Jesse Binnall and his team have launched a full-scale investigation into the allegations leveled against me by CNN. I have offered them complete cooperation and full transparency as they do so.

I fully expect the facts are going to come to light quickly, and I intend to utilize…

— Mark Robinson (@markrobinsonNC) September 26, 2024

Polls have shown the contentious race slipping away from Robinson. Marist College conducted two large-scale surveys, both of which were in the field in the days after the CNN story broke and both showed Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein with a double-digit lead. Despite being a supporter of former President Donald Trump, Robinson found himself disinvited from a campaign rally last week.

The race has implications at the federal level given the neck-and-neck polling between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. North Carolina polls give Trump a modest edge, and his campaign has expressed confidence about its ability to carry the battleground state. Assuming Robinson’s embattlement does not bleed into the presidential contest, a Trump victory will further put the onus on Harris to carry the must-win state of Pennsylvania. The Harris campaign has fully leaned into its effort to tie President Trump to Robinson, issuing a flurry of press releases touting Trump’s endorsement of him earlier this year.

Robinson’s legal move makes good on a threat to go after CNN. “We absolutely are [taking action],” Robinson said during an interview on Monday. “We’re in talks right now, everything is up to legal counsel to take CNN to task for what they have done to us. We are going after them. We are going to go after them for what they’ve done.”

“Make no mistake about it. We are not going to let CNN throw us off of our mission,” Robinson said. “Our mission is to win this race. And quite frankly, I am dismayed about the fact, as I said before, think about how many people out there right now, right in this place where we are right now who are hooked on fentanyl, who are hooked on opioids and how many will die tonight because of it? Think about what’s going on on our border. Think about what’s going on on the world stage.”

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