Four senior staffers on Republican Mark Robinson’s campaign for North Carolina governor have resigned, just days after his bid was embroiled in scandal following reports alleging he wrote a series of shocking posts on a porn website.
The departures included Robinson’s top campaign consultant, Conrad Pogorzelski III; campaign manager Chris Rodriguez; finance director Heather Whillier; and deputy campaign manager Jason Rizk.
“I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign, and I wish them well in their future endeavors,” Robinson, North Carolina’s lieutenant governor, said in a statement on Sunday. “I look forward to announcing new staff roles in the coming days.”
Pogorzelski told Axios that he and the others had left the campaign “of our own accord.” He also said other members of the team, including two political directors and a director of operations, had resigned.
The resignations come just days after CNN uncovered years of disturbing posts on a porn website linked to an email address Robinson used prior to his time in politics. The GOP candidate reportedly called himself a “black NAZI” on the site, defended slavery and called himself a “perv” who likes pornography featuring transgender people.
Robinson has rejected the report and claimed he was not behind the comments. He has refused to drop out of the race. CNN used biographical details and an email address to link him to the posts, and the account on the porn website listed his full name.
The Washington Post later found separate posts using the same username on the porn website that praised Adolf Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf.”
The North Carolina Republican Party has continued its support for Robinson. However, former President Donald Trump has distanced himself from the man and he was not at Trump’s recent rally in the state.
Robinson said new staff members would be announced soon.
“I am confident our campaign remains in a strong position to make our case to the voters on win on November 5,” he wrote.