North Carolina Lt. Gov. Sues CNN Over Defamatory Report

North Carolina's Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has filed a lawsuit against CNN, alleging defamation regarding a report on explicit posts. The lawsuit follows a reaction that distanced GOP figures from his campaign. The report claims Robinson made controversial remarks on a pornography site message board a decade ago.

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has taken legal action against CNN, accusing the network of defamation over its recent controversial report. The report alleged that Robinson made explicit racial and sexual posts on a pornography website's message board.

Robinson's lawsuit, filed in Wake County Superior Court, claims that CNN recklessly published the story despite knowing or disregarding that Robinson's data was previously compromised in multiple breaches. These breaches allegedly involved his personal information, such as his name, date of birth, passwords, and email. CNN declined to comment on the matter.

The timing of the CNN report has impacted Robinson's gubernatorial campaign, with polls now showing his Democratic rival, Josh Stein, in the lead. The allegations have led to distancing by GOP officials, including presidential nominee Donald Trump, from Robinson. Early voting is underway, with a significant number of absentee ballots already submitted.

(With inputs from agencies.)