What most would call a blatant lie, NC Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson calls a simple filing mistake. NC Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson vows to correct ‘mistake’ on ethics filing WBTV investigation found Robinson didn’t disclose wife’s charter school role https://www.wbtv.com/2023/10/04/nc-lt-gov-mark-robinson-vows-correct-mistake-ethics-filing/ RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson said this week that he would amend his 2023 Statement of Economic Interest to include a position his wife holds on the boards of several charter schools. Robinson’s pledge to do so comes after a WBTV investigation found the lieutenant governor had failed to disclose his wife’s role, as required by law. Robinson’s wife, Yolanda Hill, sits on the boards of three North Carolina charter schools: American Leadership Academy North Carolina, American Leadership Academy – Monroe and American Leadership Academy – Garner. Hill joined the boards in the spring of 2022, paperwork filed with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction shows. The schools are overseen by their boards but are or will be operated by an Arizona-based company called Charter One, according to contracts filed with NCDPI. The operating structure of the schools—overseen by a nonprofit board but run by a for-profit company contracted to manage the schools—has been a sticking point for some members of the N.C. State Board of Education. Board of Education members have twice voted to not approve the charter of American Leadership Academy-Monroe. In paperwork filed with NCDPI, Hill said she “was asked to join the board by Charter One.” Minutes of the two meetings where the board voted to not approve the charter applications show Robinson recused himself from both votes and recused himself from the discussion surrounding the vote during the second meeting. The N.C. General Assembly has since passed a law implementing a new Charter School Review Board—on which the lieutenant governor would sit, in addition to other members appointed in part by Republican legislative leaders—to handle charter school approvals. Governor Roy Cooper vetoed the bill creating the new review board. It was overridden by the General Assembly in August. Robinson was presiding over the Senate on August 16 when the bill was overridden. Even as Robinson recused himself from the votes to approve the charter school where his wife sat on the board, he did not disclose her board seats on his 2023 ethics filing. Robinson filed a ‘no change’ form, indicating there were no changes since the last time he filed the full form. A spokesman for Robinson originally scheduled an interview with WBTV for Robinson to answer questions for this story but cancelled the evening before the interview was set to take place. Instead, the spokesman sent the following statement: “Transparency and ethics are a top priority to Lt. Gov. Robinson. That is why he recused himself from relevant Board of Education votes and discussions from the very beginning of the American Leadership Academy’s application process. It is also important to note that his wife serves in a volunteer capacity on their board and receives no compensation in that role. This is nothing more than an honest mistake that we are working to correct as soon as possible.”
Looks like Robinson plans to launch a shiat-show. Well, let the circus begin. NC Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, now acting governor, schedules mystery event for Thursday Under the state constitution, the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor when the governor is out of the state. But Gov. Roy Cooper, in Japan for a conference, says he'll 'continue to direct state business' while traveling, raising a question: Who's in charge? https://www.wral.com/story/lt-gov-r...-briefly-serving-as-acting-governor/21092402/ Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson announced a mystery event, to be held Thursday, where he’ll serve as acting governor of North Carolina. But the real mystery might be: who’s actually in charge? Gov. Roy Cooper is in Japan until Sunday with a North Carolina delegation for an economic development conference. He’s there to recruit new businesses and to encourage industry leaders to attend the conference next year, when it’ll be held in Charlotte. Under the state constitution, Robinson becomes acting governor while Cooper is out of state. But Cooper’s trip announcement said Cooper will “continue to direct state business” while traveling. Cooper spokesman Ford Porter declined to comment. In the past, he’s said the arrangement could be “muddy.” “I think the governor remains the governor, while clearly there are some shades of gray with the constitution language,” Porter told WRAL last year after Cooper left the state to attend the NCAA men’s Final Four basketball tournament. The Japan trip, a rare overseas venture for the governor, is intended to build upon the state’s partnership with Japan. Already, Toyota is in the process of building a factory near Greensboro to make electric car batteries. But Cooper’s whereabouts are of particular interest for other reasons, given the players in state executive offices. For most of state history, the people serving as governor and lieutenant governor have been members of the same party. But that is very much not the case now. Robinson, a Republican, and Cooper, a Democrat, have frequently found themselves at odds over issues ranging from COVID-era mask mandates to gay rights, climate change and more. Robinson hasn’t exercised gubernatorial powers while Cooper has left the state in the past, but there are concerns among Democrats about what could happen if he does. It’s unclear what Robinson plans to do at the event Thursday morning at the state legislative building. John Waugh, a Robinson spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for additional information beyond a short announcement that described it as “a special event.” Robinson is running to replace Cooper, who is term-limited and can’t run for governor again next year. Robinson is considered the Republican front-runner; Attorney General Josh Stein is likewise the favorite on the Democratic side of the aisle. Cooper has issued a number of executive orders on gay rights and climate change as well as other hot-button issues such as abortion, gun safety and parental leave policies for state workers. In theory, it’s possible Robinson could undo any or all of those executive orders when he becomes acting governor, or issue some new orders of his own. Such a scenario would be unlikely to have long-term implications, however. Cooper will be back from Japan in a few days and could undo or redo any executive orders he saw fit.
The follow-up... Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson downplays past remarks about Jews, declares statewide Israel solidarity week Robinson said it's important for the state to show as much support to Israel as possible, decrying an 'unprovoked and unjustified invasion' by Hamas, a Palestinian militant group based in the Gaza Strip. https://www.wral.com/story/lt-gov-m...es-statewide-israel-solidarity-week/21093457/ Serving temporarily as acting governor, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson declared “North Carolina Solidarity With Israel Week” and a statewide day of prayer to support Israel amid its new conflict with Hamas. He also downplayed his previous statements viewed by Jews as antisemitic. Robinson, during an event at the state legislature Thursday, said it's important for the state to show as much support to Israel as possible, decrying an "unprovoked and unjustified invasion" by Hamas, a Palestinian militant group based in the Gaza Strip. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is in Japan for an economic development trip, meaning Robinson is the acting governor until Cooper is back in the state. He has previously said Robinson has no real authority to act as governor and dismissed Robinson's announcement Thursday as a cynical publicity stunt meant to bolster his 2024 campaign for governor. "It’s tragically ironic that someone with a long history of hate speech against Jewish people would take advantage of death and destruction in Israel for his own political purposes," Cooper wrote on social media Thursday. Robinson spent most of Thursday's press conference defending his numerous past remarks downplaying Nazism, promoting conspiracy theories about Jewish control over finance and Hollywood, and making other statements that Jewish groups and others have criticized as antisemitic. Robinson resisted calls to apologize for those past remarks, saying he's not actually antisemitic. "There have been some Facebook posts that were poorly worded on my part," he said Thursday, adding that "There is no antisemitism standing here in front of you." Robinson is widely seen as the frontrunner to win the Republican Party's nomination for governor next year. His likely Democratic opponent, Attorney General Josh Stein, is Jewish. “Mark Robinson called the Holocaust 'hogwash' and now uses the slaughter of Israelis and Americans to perform a transparent political stunt," said Kate Frauenfelder, a spokeswoman for Stein's campaign. "This is as close as he should ever get to being governor." Robinson has flirted with Holocaust denial in the past. He called reports of the Holocaust "hogwash" in one Facebook post and, in another from 2017, implied that the widely accepted figure of 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis is false. As recently as 2019, Robinson went on a podcast hosted by an alleged cult leader, where he endorsed the host's conspiracy theory that Jewish bankers are one of the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," along with Muslims, China and the CIA. "That’s exactly right," Robinson said. "It’s amazing to me, that we live in this age of information where you can go online and you can find all this information, and it’s not hidden from anybody.” On Thursday he said he wants to move on from his past statements. "I've never been antisemitic," Robinson said. "I've never had anything against the Jewish people." What Cooper's absence means Cooper is in Japan leading a 35-person North Carolina team at an economic development conference, opening the door for Robinson to take over as acting governor. The state constitution mandates that power-sharing dynamic whenever the governor leaves the state. But Cooper's office has said similar rules have been struck down in other states since it's a relic of a time when officials traveled by horse and cell phones didn't exist. Cooper spokeswoman Sam Chan said Cooper has continued to direct the state government while in Japan, including doing his own official outreach to Israel and ordering flags to be flown at half-staff for victims of the violence in the Middle East. "Governor Cooper stands steadfast in supporting Israel and their right to self-defense and has taken action to protect houses of worship and other religious organizations here that could be targets," Chan said. "He has also been in communication with the Israeli government to reaffirm our partnership." The trip halfway across the world is a rare international sojourn for the governor. His office put out a news release shortly before the Robinson event Thursday showing Cooper smiling with other attendees, including U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, a well-known Democrat who was President Barack Obama's chief of staff. Cooper's office said he met with the president of Toyota Motor Corporation, which is investing billions in North Carolina manufacturing facilities, and the chief executive for Bridgestone Global, which has a tire manufacturing facility in Wilson. The governor's office said more than 27,000 people in North Carolina work for Japanese-owned companies. The conference Cooper is attending, the Southeast U.S./Japan Association's annual meeting, will be held in Charlotte next year. “Over thousands of miles of land and sea and several generations, North Carolina’s relationship with Japan has grown strong and resolute, producing valuable successes for our people,” Cooper said in the release, “We look forward to continuing to work together to bring success to both the southeastern United States and Japan through this valuable partnership.”
He's trying to be like Trump. Robinson 'vengeance' remarks stir controversy within NC GOP Remarks by Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson are once again causing controversy. But this time, their apparent targets are within his own party. https://www.wral.com/story/robinson-vengeance-remarks-stir-controversy-within-nc-gop/21183619/
Look who is spending his campaign cash on personal stuff, accepting improper donations, exceeding donation limits and failing to disclose donor information. Who does this grifter think he is? Donald Trump. Lt. Gov. Robinson needs to answer questions of campaign finance irregularities Campaign finance matters are more than concerns for political insiders. They are about the integrity of the candidates and their campaigns. All candidates should endeavor to establish unquestioned credentials. https://www.wral.com/story/editoria...-of-campaign-finance-irregularities/21229494/ It was 35 months ago. Just weeks after the 2020 elections and days after Mark Robinson was sworn in as North Carolina’s lieutenant governor. Bob Hall, an ardent activist seeking broad voter participation and an equally energetic advocate for open and honest elections filed a complaint with the State Board of Elections. The complaint has not been resolved nor has Robinson’s campaign offered any explanations, corrections or remedies. From a review of Robinson’s 2020 campaign finance reports, it appeared to Hall that Robinson’s campaign may, among several concerns listed, have: Used campaign cash to pay off personal loans; Improperly Accepted anonymous donations in excess of the allowable limits; Accepted contributions from forbidden business sources; Accepted individual contributions in excess of the allowable limits; Accepted donations from out-of-state political action committees not authorized to be involved in North Carolina elections; Failed to disclose required donor identification information; Included discrepancies between total income from detailed contribution listing pages and that listed on the summary page. Shortly after Hall filed his complaint one of Robinson’s political consultants at the time, Conrad Pogorzelski, passed the complaint off as, at the most, clerical errors. “We are transitioning to new staff, and our team is in the process of working with the NCSBE to fix any and all mistakes, and to amend our reports to be accurate and up to date,” he said in a February 2021 news report. This is an on-going investigation – now better than three years without resolution. State law, enacted in 2018, made all complaints, responses, related materials gathered and produced during investigations secret. “The confidentiality provision does not prevent a complainant or a respondent from publishing or otherwise disclosing the complaint, substance of the complainant, the response, or any substance of the response to members of the media or the public,” states the Campaign Finance Complaint Policy Guide published by the State Elections Board. Mark Robinson, now a candidate for governor, owes it to the state’s voters to clear up these very serious concerns and questions. It would be one thing if these issues were an exception. But for Robinson, financial irregularities seem to be too much the norm in his campaigns and even his life. When it was disclosed in July 2022 that Robinson had unpaid Guilford County tax bills going back to 2006, he did finally pay off the delinquent taxes and passed it off, saying “I’m not very good at math.” He’s been through three bankruptcies (1998, 1999 and 2003) and, according to court records, seven years of unpaid federal income taxes. He’s even faced eviction from his home, after he failed to make payments. He’s even failed – until a news organization disclosed it – to file timely data on statements of financial interest state officials are required to complete. Many go through times of financial challenge. The honest ones take responsibility, openly acknowledge the missteps and work to meet their obligations. Given his record, after more than three years and as he asks for the vote of North Carolinians for governor, Robinson has an obligation to publicly answer, specifically and in detail, the concerns Hall raised. If he can’t and with the secrecy required of the State Board of Elections, it would be time for Wake County district attorney’s office – which has clearly established its non-partisan credentials -- to step up and clear the air. Campaign finance matters are more than concerns for political insiders. They are about the integrity of the candidates and their campaigns. All candidates, including North Carolina’s Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, should endeavor to establish unquestioned credentials.
Obvious: NC candidate for Governor has a history of spending this holiday trashing MLK, calling him a "communist", and "an ersatz pastor" and calling the civil rights movement "a mistake". Dumbass: He wouldn't be able to vote or hold office without it. MLK Was An Inferior Pastor And ‘Communist,’ Said Top GOP Candidate For N.C. Governor https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...op-gop-candidate-for-n-c-governor/ar-AA1mZkkP Martin Luther King Jr. was just an “ersatz pastor” and a “communist,” and the 1960s civil rights movement was “crap,” according to a series of Facebook posts by Mark Robinson, the leading Republican candidate to be North Carolina’s next governor. Robinson, who is currently the state’s lieutenant governor, regularly criticized King and the civil rights movement for years on Facebook ― specifically on MLK Day ― HuffPost found amid a review of his posts. The Black politician also downplayed slavery, rejected the idea that he’s part of the African American community, and attacked the late congressman and civil rights icon, John Lewis. (More at above url)
This is the type of person that Trump endorses. Donald Trump endorses Mark Robinson, who said gays are ‘filth’ and ‘maggots,’ for NC governor https://www.advocate.com/politics/donald-trump-mark-robinson-mlk
As expected, Trump-supported candidate Mark Robinson has won the N.C. Republican primary for governor. Let's catch up with some of the things that he has said in the past. Whew, North Carolina’s Winning GOP Nominee for Governor Sure Has Said Some Things Meet Super Tuesday’s breakout offensive candidate. https://slate.com/news-and-politics...a-primary-results-mark-robinson-governor.html Republicans Just Nominated a Conspiracy Theorist Who Compared Gay People to Maggots North Carolina gubernatorial hopeful Mark Robinson has a long history of bashing Muslims, women, and LGBTQ Americans. Trump loves him https://www.rollingstone.com/politi...rth-carolina-gop-primary-governor-1234981673/