controversy

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has announced a lawsuit against CNN over its recent report alleging he made explicit racial and sexual posts on a pornography website's message board. He made the announcement Tuesday and calls the reporting reckless and defamatory.

The departures announced Sunday include the campaign's senior adviser, campaign manager and finance director.

Donald Trump returned to North Carolina to stump in the southern battleground state that both Democrats and Republicans are treating as increasingly critical to victory in November. But on Saturday he campaigned in Wilmington without Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is denying a CNN report that says he made a series of racist, sexually explicit comments on an internet pornography forum — but the allegations are prompting at least one fellow Republican to call on Robinson to drop out of the governor's race.

North Carolina Republican gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson has vowed to remain in his race despite a CNN media report about comments it says he made on a website. The CNN story said Robinson posted strongly worded racial and sexual comments on an online message board more than a decade ago.