Mark Robinson drops lawsuit against CNN, says he won’t run for office again

CHARLOTTE — Months after a bombshell report tanked Mark Robinson’s polling number in the race for North Carolina governor, the former Lt. Governor is dropping his lawsuit against CNN.

Robinson added that he’s not going to run for office in the future.

Channel 9′s Joe Bruno learned the developments on Friday. Robinson had sued CNN in October after the news outlet reported that the Republican candidate frequently commented on porn sites. Robinson denied the allegations immediately after the report.

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CNN reported that Robinson made dozens of disturbing comments on a porn forum in which he referred to himself as a “black NAZI!” and expressed support for reinstating slavery. CNN wrote in its report that Robinson said he liked watching transgender pornography and referred to himself as a “perv” in archived messages. CNN also said Robinson went into detail while describing watching women in gym showers as a 14-year-old. The news organization reports the comments were all made more than a decade ago, before Robinson entered into politics. They said they positively identified Robinson’s user name using “a litany of biographical details and a shared email address between the two.”

Robinson originally sought millions from CNN before amending his lawsuit. He claimed the news outlet intentionally defamed him.

On Friday, Channel 9 learned that Robinson directed his attorneys to drop the lawsuit against CNN. Robinson cited “costly litigation and political gamesmanship by [his] detractors” as reasons for dropping the lawsuit.

Robinson added in his statement that he will not run for office next year, and he has no plans to seek office in the future.

Former North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein defeated Robinson in the race for governor in November.

(VIDEO: Former Chief of Staff for Mark Robinson recovering after being shot on New Year’s Eve)

Former Chief of Staff for Mark Robinson recovering after being shot on New Year’s Eve

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