Lindsey Graham Shocked by ‘Beyond Disturbing’ Allegations of Racism and Sexism Against North Carolina Politician Mark Robinson

Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday he was shocked by the “beyond disturbing” accusations made against North Carolina gubernatorial candidate and fellow Republican Mark Robinson.

“If these reports are true, he is not fit to hold office,” the South Carolina politician said bluntly on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “If they are not true, he has the best defamation lawsuit in the history of the country.”

Last week, Robinson, the first black lieutenant governor of North Carolina in the swing state, denied a CNN report that he posted inflammatory sexual and racial messages on the forum of the porn site Nude Africa between 2008 and 2012.

Among the litany of accusations, Robinson was accused of referring to himself as a “black Nazi,” saying, “Slavery is not bad … I wish they would bring it back,” and recalling “spying” on women in a gym shower when he was a teenager.

Robinson called the report “tabloid trash” in a categorical denial.

“Let me reassure you, the things you’re going to see in this story are not the words of Mark Robinson,” he said, vowing to stay in the race.

Many prominent Republicans have echoed Graham’s sentiment that these are simply accusations against Robinson.

But Graham also added: “He needs to do more, in my opinion.

“He has a right to defend himself. He has a duty to defend himself. This is a problem that is weighing on his campaign. He is a political zombie if he does not offer a credible defense.”

Asked by an NBC reporter about the scandal, Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance said of Robinson: “I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it.

“I just think sometimes you have to let these things play out in public,” Vance said.

The bombshell story rattled Republicans in North Carolina, where Robinson has long trailed in the race for governor.

North Carolina is widely considered one of seven key states in the presidential race. The last time the state supported a Democrat was in 2008.

Former President Donald Trump has a slim lead of about 0.1 percentage points in the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of a two-way race between him and Vice President and Democratic foe Kamala Harris.

Robinson trails North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein by 9.4 points, according to the latest RCP average.

Stein publicly questioned Robinson’s denial.

“If you look at what he’s said in his posts, it’s consistent with what he’s said publicly on Facebook and is still on his Facebook page,” Stein told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.

“Mark Robinson is absolutely not fit to be governor of North Carolina,” he continued. “Mark Robinson could not have existed without the support of Donald Trump.”

Incumbent North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) is term-limited, raising hopes among Republicans ahead of the election that they could flip the governor’s office.

Democrats are rejoicing in the scandal surrounding Robinson.

“This is great news for Democrats,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I mean, Robinson is actually the perfect new candidate to run against.”