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CNN Uncovers Racist, Sexist Posts By NC GOP Gov. Nominee; Harris Heads To Georgia For Reproductive Rights Event; Kentucky Sheriff Accused Of Killing Judge In His Chambers. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired September 20, 2024 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[11:00:21]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. And you're in the CNN Newsroom. This morning, North Carolina's Republican candidate for governor, Mark Robinson, he's the lieutenant governor right now, one of the party's most controversial figures, engulfed in scandal and vowing to stay in his critical battleground state race despite calls from some fellow Republicans to step down.

A bombshell CNN report, unearthing dozens of rather lewd comments that Robinson made on a pornography forum. The posts include Robinson calling himself a, quote, black Nazi, defending slavery, and even using racist language to insult the late civil rights icon doctor Martin Luther King Jr. We'll speak to King's son about those shocking comments in just a few moments.

But first, your CNN KFILE senior editor Andrew Kaczynski. Good morning, Andrew.

ANDREW KACZYNSKI, CNN KFILE SENIOR EDITOR: Wolf. My colleague Em and I found a series of highly disturbing posts more than a decade ago on the message board of a pornographic website, and we traced them directly to Mark Robinson. Now, we did interview Robinson yesterday, and he categorically denies making these posts. I'll get to that in just one moment.

But first, I want to walk people through just some of them. Take a look at this post right here. In one post, Robinson called himself a, quote, black Nazi, and when discussing then President Barack Obama in 2012, writing, quote, I take Hitler over any of the shit that's in Washington right now. It even goes beyond that disturbing post. Robinson defended slavery, writing, quote, slavery is not that bad. And I wish they would bring back slavery. I would certainly buy a few.

He also disparaged, as you mentioned, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., using a slur to refer to him and calling him a, quote, commie bastard. All those comments and others you can read on CNN.com were made on the message board of a porn website called Nude Africa.

And Wolf, in addition to those posts, he also expressed views on Nude Africa that sharply contradict his current policies as a socially conservative candidate for governor, for example, he has been vocally anti transgender. But look at what Robinson wrote on the porn message board a decade ago that he liked, quote, watching transgender porn, adding, quote, that's effing hot. And called himself a, quote, perv.

In another thread that was discussing the story of a woman who said she had been raped by her taxi driver while she was drunk Robinson wrote, quote, and the moral of this story? Don't f a drunk white bitch.

BLITZER: So he wrote all this years ago, as you know, Andrew, when he was an ordinary citizen, before he even got into politics. How do we know it's him?

KACZYNSKI: Well, Wolf, we found that Robinson consistently used the same username, Mini Soldier, that he used on Nude Africa and all of his social media. You can see it on the Pinterest, Black Planet, YouTube. He even previously used it as his Twitter handle. Now, his full name was even also listed on Nude Africa. And the e-mail that we found that he used there, he also used on several other websites.

The biographical data from multiple websites using Mini Soldier, including nude Africa matches Robinson's. There's an exact date of birth. There's his hometown. There's a fact his mother worked at an HBCU, even that his favorite episode of the Twilight Zone is number 22.

BLITZER: So, Andrew, what does Robinson say about all of this?

KACZYNSKI: Robinson is calling the story trash. He says it's not him. Now, we did ask the campaign for comment. We gave them 48 hours to respond. That deadline was yesterday. And that's when Lieutenant Governor Robinson agreed to do a brief interview with us. Here is just a little bit of that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KACZYNSKI: Lieutenant Governor Robinson, thank you so much for being willing to talk to us. I think we'll just jump right into it. Do you deny that this account is you?

LT. GOV. MARK ROBINSON (R-NC), GOV. CANDIDATE: Well, first off, let me say thank you so much for allowing me to come here and clear the air. We absolutely do. This is not us. These are not our words. And this is not anything that is characteristic of me, nor has it ever been. The people here of North Carolina know I have been completely transparent about my history. All the warts, we put them all out. We let folks know about it.

But the folks here also know my character. They know who I am. They know my voice, so to speak. This is not my voice. This is not things that we would ever say or even think. And so, absolutely, we do.

KACZYNSKI: How do you explain all of the matching details on this profile? The profile on Nude Africa lists your full name as Mark Robinson. The e-mail listed on an account is an email that you -- you -- you have used elsewhere on the Internet, including with your photo. You have used that name, Mini Soldier, on multiple social media accounts, including Twitter, Pinterest, Black Planet, and YouTube. How can you deny, with all of these matching details, that this is you?

[11:05:21]

ROBINSON: Look, I'm not going to get into the minutiae of how somebody manufacture this -- these salacious tabloid lies. But I can tell you this, there's been over $1 million spent on me through AI by billionaire son who's bound and determined to destroy me. The things that people can do with the Internet now is incredible. But what I can tell you is this. Again, these are not my words. This is simply tabloid trash being used as a distraction from the substantive issues that the people of this state are facing. We have addressed it. We have said it's not true, and we wish we could move on and get busy with the business of the people of the state.

KACZYNSKI: OK. Well, these posts, they do take place over a five-year period from 2008 to 2013. You -- you mentioned AI. Are you saying that somebody was somehow manufacturing biographical details to exactly match you using your username?

ROBINSON: Look, I have no idea how this was done. I have absolutely no idea how it was done. And I have five weeks left in this campaign to focus on the substantive issues that North Carolinians face. I do not have time for tabloid trash.

KACZYNSKI: There have been rumors that some of your campaign staff have quit. Can you tell us if that's true or not?

ROBINSON: Absolutely not. And we are not getting out of this race. There are people who are counting on us to win this race because, again, we don't want a governor who's going to be a person that can't be counted on to tell the truth. And I can assure you my opponent has been taken to court for not telling the truth in campaigns, and he's been completely dishonest in his ads against me.

This camp is so desperate to destroy us. It's just like Clarence Thomas said years ago, this is a high tech lynching. And, you know, back long years ago, they used to use rope. Now they're using cable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KACZYNSKI: And Lieutenant Governor Robinson released a video shortly after our interview reiterating that he plans to stay in the race. Wolf?

BLITZER: Andrew, also tell me a little bit more about those comments that Robinson made about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

KACZYNSKI: Yes, I mentioned those a little bit earlier, Wolf, he -- he used a -- a slur, as I mentioned, for MLK, Martin Luther King Jr. He called him Martin Lucifer and then used a slur that I can't say on air. He also called him a, quote, commie bastard. And that was back when they were putting his memorial in Washington, D.C., on the National Mall.

BLITZER: Andrew, thanks for your excellent reporting. Thank your team as well.

I want to bring in right now the civil rights advocate, Martin Luther King III, the son of the civil rights icon. He's joining us from Atlanta. Martin, thank you so much for joining us. First of all, what's your reaction to Mark Robinson's clearly racist comments about your father?

MARTIN LUTHER KING III, CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCATE: Well, it is certainly very tragic that instead of elevating what civil rights leaders did and people in North Carolina who are on the front lines of the modern civil rights movement, particularly in Greensboro, where the sit in movement occurred. And by the way, on this day, Wolf, 66 years ago, my father was stabbed in Harlem while signing his book by a black woman from a black woman by the name of Izola Curry.

My point for making that is after dad was stabbed, the next day, he was able to share with the media and he talked about the dangerous rhetoric that is being propagated in our -- in -- in the nation. Sixty-six years ago, 60 years, excuse me, later, that rhetoric is being propagated, or at least it's been alleged that it's being propagated by a person who's running for the governor of the state of North Carolina.

And it's a -- it's a very, very sad scenario. As I said, I feel that people should be lifting up the contributions that have been made by North Carolinians to move things forward in our nation around civil and human rights so that all people are treated with dignity and respect.

BLITZER: Yes, that's so important. Former President Trump, as you probably know, has had some high praise for Robinson in the past. Let -- let me play this one clip. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: This is Martin Luther King on steroids. I think you're better than Martin Luther King. I think you are Martin Luther King times two.

One of the great stars of the party, one of the great stars in politics, Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So what's your response to that?

LUTHER KING III: Well, first of all, again, I don't even know exactly what that means, but it does not mean anything positive. The fact that these things have been attributed to what this person stood for. And it certainly has nothing to do with what my father and his team and others have stood for, about decency, about justice, about creating the kind of nation that, we -- where all people are treated -- are -- are treated fairly.

[11:10:15] And it's unfortunate, again, but maybe not surprising. We've seen this kind of behavior from the former president many times. And the fact that people still embrace that there is a fraction -- they're a fraction. I think far more people want to see us as a nation that works together. We can disagree. During my father's era and my mother's leadership, they taught us they were not the only ones, but they taught us how to disagree without being disagreeable. That's the spirit. We must bring civility back to the political landscape. And I think we have to work on that every day.

We are far better as a nation than the behavior that we see when we make these kind of, this -- this kind of divisive rhetoric and language which is causing all kind of things in the political space and in our just in general.

BLITZER: Yes. It's so important. And I wish -- wish that would happen. Writing in a forum discussing black Republicans back in 2010, Martin, Robinson stated, and it was unprovoked, quote, I'm a black Nazi. Reading those comments, what went through your mind?

LUTHER KING III: You know, I don't ever like to say that somebody is -- is -- is crazy or demented, but that was the first thing. This person is way off the rocker that you would admire someone who is such an evil force and figure and did so much harm in -- in -- in relationship to -- to killing Jewish people and -- and other things. So that you empathize with this person, there's got to be something wrong with you. And it also says that there should be concerns about North Carolinians who have allowed this person to emerge as -- as one who's providing leadership. He is a lieutenant governor. So at the end of the day, we still have a lot of work to do to stamp out hatred, hostility, to stamp out this kind of behavior.

BLITZER: Martin Luther King III, thanks as usual for joining us.

LUTHER KING III: Thank you.

BLITZER: And still ahead this hour, Vice President Kamala Harris is on her way to Atlanta right now. And former President Trump will be in Georgia for the first time in seven weeks. We're going to discuss the pivotal race of the state -- pivotal role of the state, I should say, less than 50 days from the election.

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[11:17:11]

BLITZER: Today, Vice President Kamala Harris travels to the battleground state of Georgia, where she will keep the focus on reproductive healthcare. The topic took center stage last night as Kamala Harris sat down with Oprah Winfrey and the family of a woman who died after she was in iCare because of an abortion ban. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want you all to know Amber was not a statistic. KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm just so sorry. And the courage that you all have shown is extraordinary.

Is she on debt's door before you actually decide to give her help?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, let's discuss with Tia Mitchell of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Tia, thanks very much for joining us. What do you think we could expect the Vice President to say during her visit to Georgia today?

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, THE ATLANTA JOURNAL- CONSTITUTION: And her overall theme is going to be tying some of these tragic stories of women who needed abortion care and either were scared to go to the hospital or went to a hospital and didn't get the immediate procedures that they needed. She's going to tie that back to former President Donald Trump, her opponent in November.

So for her, it's not just Georgia's abortion ban or even Governor Brian Kemp's abortion ban. It's a Donald Trump abortion --

BLITZER: As you know, Tia, this will be the Vice President's second trip to Georgia in the past three weeks alone, according to recent CNN polling in the state. There is no clear leader there, at least not yet. Harris with just a one point lead, well within the so called margin of error, could women's reproductive rights be the deciding issue for a lot of voters in Georgia?

MITCHELL: Yes, the AJC has some recent polling that shows about, for about 10 percent of Georgia voters, it's their top issue. But we know that even if it's not the top issue for voters, it is an issue on a lot of their minds, especially women. We know suburban female voters in the Atlanta metro area, which is exactly where Harris is going today. They're a swing constituency in Georgia. And reproductive rights is important to them.

BLITZER: Certainly is. It's been nearly about seven weeks since former President Donald Trump last visited the state of Georgia. One state GOP official told you and your colleagues, and I'm quoting you now, if my visit was as much of a disaster as his last one, I'd say -- I'd stay away for a while, too. But have you some new reporting on how that's about to change? What can you tell us?

MITCHELL: Yes, in our political newsletter this morning, we reported that we do expect Donald Trump to return to Georgia soon, possibly as soon as next week. He's going to be, you know, ramping things back up in the state. But he did have, as you mentioned, a -- a rally in Atlanta seven weeks ago that did not go well for him, both in some of the things he said talking about crowd size, but also his attacks on Governor Kemp.

[11:20:21]

BLITZER: Democrats are poised to have more commercial airtime in Georgia through election days, you know, $36 million compared to $26 million for the Republicans. What are you hearing from Democrats? Are they bullish on keeping Georgia blue this year?

MITCHELL: Well, I think Democrats are following Vice President Harris's lead and they're saying, you know, they have work to do. They want to win Georgia. Georgia is important to them. But they are acting as if they are the underdog. But they are doing a lot of organizing in Georgia. They just opened a new campaign office in Athens, Georgia. So they're really trying to get out in all the pockets of Georgia to have a presence, to have volunteers.

So they're working hard, but they're sending the message that they do not think Georgia's in the bag. Again, our polling shows it pretty much a dead heat within the margin of error.

BLITZER: Tia Mitchell of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, thank you very much for joining us.

MITCHELL: Thank you.

BLITZER: A congressional delegation, meanwhile, plans to visit the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, next week following weeks of turmoil linked to baseless claims made by former President Donald Trump. The city has been hit with dozens of violent threats since Trump and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, began pushing lies that Haitian immigrants are eating pets.

Officials confirmed to CNN that a Vance staffer called the Springfield city manager a day before the presidential debate to ask about the rumors. That staffer was told there is no evidence, repeat, no evidence, to back up those claims. But despite that call, Trump still spread the false allegations at the debate in front of millions of Americans. Springfield's mayor says he was shocked by what heard. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ROB RUE, SPRINGFIELD, OHIO: It was startling. I mean, you know, I chuckled just in like, we're all tired. But it was -- it was difficult to see. It was difficult to hear at that level. We knew it would bring a -- a lot of criticism into the community. At what level, we didn't know. But we've all seen in the last two weeks what it's done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Trump says he'll be visiting Springfield, Ohio, in the next two weeks. Let's see if that actually happens.

Coming up, an argument that turned deadly. A Kentucky sheriff is facing murder charges after a judge was shot multiple times in his chambers. Stay with us. You're in the CNN Newsroom.

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[11:27:26]

BLITZER: New this morning, we're now hearing the emergency call that came into authorities after a deadly shooting inside a Kentucky courthouse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 362 needs to be en route to the Letcher County Courthouse. Got shots fired on the second floor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The victim of the shooting, District Court Judge Kevin Mullins. The suspect, Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines, 30, say the sheriff shot the judge in his chambers after an argument. CNN's senior national correspondent Ryan Young is following all the late breaking developments for us. Ryan, what more can you tell us?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, we're short on details on this story. Still trying to figure out everything that happened here. But we do know schools were put on lockdown. That courthouse was put on lockdown after this shooting. And there is some sort of surveillance video that led up to this shooting. But this happened back in the judge's chambers. And from what we're told, that sheriff showed up, there was some sort of argument, then shots were fired.

This has really put the community into a tailspin because if you think about it, the sheriff cannot be housed at the jail that he used to basically run. He's being held in a different county. And the judge who would have heard the next court appearance for this shooting would have been the judge who was killed, Judge Mullins. A lot of questions about this, but the judge's brother-in-law stepped forward with a heartbreaking message on Facebook. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT BUTLER, LETCHER COUNTY, KY PROSECUTOR, JUDGE'S BROTHER-IN-LAW: Tried cases against each other before he was the judge and never had a disagreement outside of that courtroom. We have always got along. I always thought he was hilarious. I always thought he was very witty. He was fun to be around outside of court. And as a brother-in-law, I will never forget how kind he was to my children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Yes, Wolf, this is tragic and messy. Of course, this happened around 3:00 yesterday. They put that courthouse on lockdown. They put schools on lockdown. The sheriff was still there and surrendered to police. Now, what we're trying to follow next is what are the next steps, especially with the court appearance. We're hoping that will happen next week. We'll get some more details, hopefully from state troopers to try to unravel what happened here.

But this is a baffling case when you think of two top law enforcement officials, some sort of argument, shots fired and this judge, who was 54, getting killed. Wolf?

BLITZER: Well, very sad indeed. Ryan Young, thank you very much for that report. [11:29:44]

Still to come, we're learning new details right now about the deadly explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon as the investigation unfolds. I'll speak live with a former explosive disposal expert for the British army. We'll get some specifics when we come back.

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