Vance says allegations against Mark Robinson are “not necessarily true”

LEESPORT, Pennsylvania – Senator JD Vance on Saturday responded for the first time to the explosive report about Mark Robinson, the Republican gubernatorial candidate in North Carolina, saying the allegations against Robinson “don't necessarily reflect reality.”

“The allegations are obviously pretty far-fetched, but I know the allegations are not necessarily true,” Republican Vance of Ohio said of Robinson's alleged comments on a porn site.

In his interview with NBC Philadelphia, Vance said it was “ultimately up to Mark Robinson and North Carolina whether he becomes their governor and whether he wants to stay in the race.”

According to a CNN report published Thursday, Robinson allegedly made comments on a porn website years ago in which he called himself a “black NAZI,” expressed support for slavery and called Martin Luther King Jr. a racial slur, among other remarks.

Some members of his own party expressed concern about the allegations. The North Carolina Republican Party issued a statement Thursday reiterating that Robinson “categorically denies the allegations.”

Robinson has denied the report and said he will stay in the race.

When asked if Vance believed Robinson's denial that the comments were his, he said the situation needed to be “worked out.”

“I don't not “I don't believe him — I just think sometimes you have to let these things play out in the court of public opinion,” Vance said. “He'll make whatever arguments he wants to make. I'm sure the news media and others will look more closely at these comments.”

Vance also said his candidates have no plans to campaign with Robinson, who is currently North Carolina's lieutenant governor. The vice presidential candidate is scheduled to be in North Carolina on Monday.

NBC News had previously reported that there were no plans for Trump to officially withdraw his support for Robinson. The former president had previously praised Robinson highly, calling him “Martin Luther King on steroids.”

North Carolina is considered a crucial state for Republicans to secure the White House. Trump narrowly won the state in 2020, but Democrats have increased their resources in North Carolina in hopes of turning the state into a “blue state.” Polls suggest Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are locked in a neck-and-neck race. In the race for governor, Robinson is trailing significantly in the polls behind his Democratic opponent, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein.