Republicans are trying to distance Donald Trump from the embattled North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson amid controversy around his alleged past comments.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, said in an appearance on Fox News that the Republican presidential nominee did not know about the comments allegedly made by Robinson.
“That’s literally their campaign in North Carolina,” Graham said about the Democrats. “Is trying to make people believe that Donald Trump’s somehow involved with the Robinson guy—Donald Trump knew nothing about this, I knew nothing about it. They’re trying to guilt by association.”
Robinson, who is the Republican candidate for governor in his state, has been under fire after a CNN report claimed that he had once made controversial comments on the message board of an adult website more than a decade ago.
These messages included describing himself as a “Black NAZI,” talking about “peeping” on naked women, defending slavery, and describing himself as a “perv” for enjoying transgender porn.
Robinson has repeatedly denied that he made the comments and has resisted calls to step down. The scandal has led to several of his key campaign staff resigning.
Trump previously endorsed Robinson for governor in March ahead of North Carolina’s primary election and described him as “Martin Luther King on steroids.”
“I think you’re better than Martin Luther King,” Trump said to Robinson at a rally in Greensboro. “I think you are Martin Luther King times two.”
Trump also once described Robinson as being like “a fine wine” and as a “star.”
The former president has since appeared to have distanced himself from the lieutenant governor, and did not mention him at a rally in Wilmington on Saturday, despite Robinson having been a frequent presence at Trump’s campaign events in the state.
The surfaced comments have been criticized by Democrats and Republicans alike, including by Graham.
“The charges are beyond unnerving. If they’re true, he is unfit to serve for office,” Graham said about Robinson in an interview.
But Graham still hedged his view, adding: “If they’re not true, he has the best lawsuit in the history of the country for libel.”
Robinson had already been facing criticism for comments he has publicly made, including calling LGBTQ+ people “filth” and making comments described as sexist, Islamophobic and antisemitic.
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign and Robinson’s office for comment via email outside of regular working hours.
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