Top members of Robinson's state office to resign in wake of porn-site report

Brian LiVecchi, a top adviser to North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, is resigning from his post as chief of staff and general counsel in the office of the lieutenant governor — the biggest move in a new wave of coming departures following allegations that Robinson made racist and lewd comments on a pornographic website more than a decade ago.

In addition to LiVecchi, Director of Communications John Wesley Waugh, Policy Director Jonathan Harris, and Director of Government Affairs Nathan Lewis have stated their intention to resign, people familiar with the matter told WRAL. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared professional retribution.

The resignations — which represent half of the office’s staff — are expected to become effective in the coming days, WRAL learned Wednesday.

Waugh, who serves as the office’s spokesman, didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.

Until now, fallout from the allegations, made in a CNN investigation last week, has centered on Robinson’s campaign for governor. A number of fellow Republicans have questioned whether the Republican nominee should drop out of the race in the wake of the scandal and as he trails Democrat Josh Stein by double digits in recent polls.

At least eight members of Robinson’s campaign staff — including his campaign manager, finance director and a senior adviser — have resigned, current and former campaign staff members said Sunday.

The latest resignations show that the situation is spreading into state government.

The state office of the lieutenant governor focuses on the day-to-day activities of the lieutenant governor. The lieutenant governor presides over the state senate — directing the speaking order — and sits on various state boards and commissions.

The people who work in the lieutenant governor’s office are state employees. They prepare reports for Robinson, offer guidance on policy, arrange his schedule of events and communicate with constituents and government officials on his behalf. They are not responsible for vetting Robinson or investigating his past.

They work separate from campaign staff, which focuses on Robinson’s run for governor. Campaign staff members organize political events, communicate with donors and plan advertisements on multiple mediums across the state.

State Rep. Jake Johnson, R-Polk, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, praised the departing members of Robinson’s government staff.

“They have consistently demonstrated professionalism and have always been willing to assist with constituent issues,” Johnson, the House Deputy Majority Whip, said in a statement. “I am truly saddened to see them go and wish them luck on whatever is next.”

LiVecchi’s departure is particularly notable. He has served as Robinson’s right-hand man in the state office throughout his term, first as general counsel and then as chief of staff.

“Brian and his staff worked every day to help make North Carolina the best state in the nation,” state Sen. Benton Sawrey, R-Johnston, said in a statement. “He’s a true public servant that led by example and tackled every issue thoughtfully. I wish them well in their future plans.”

Waugh previously worked at Conservative Connections, a political consulting firm founded by Conrad Pogorzelski, the campaign's senior advisor, who was also a key part of Robinson's 2020 campaign. Pogorzelski was among the campaign members who resigned.

CNN reported Thursday that an account tied to Robinson made posts praising Nazis, calling for the reinstatement of slavery and describing pornographic preferences, among other things. Robinson referred to himself in posts as a "Black Nazi" and said he liked "[transgender]-on-girl porn," using a slur for transgender people, CNN reported. The posts appeared on the website “Nude Africa.” CNN connected the posts to Robinson through user names, profile pictures and email accounts, and the network explained those connections in its investigative piece.

Robinson quickly denied the allegations, but some fellow Republicans want him to take further action. They’ve encouraged him to prove that he didn’t post the comments and to sue if the allegations are indeed false.

Robinson said on social media Wednesday that he spoke with leaders in his party that morning.

“I spoke with Republican leaders across the state and made it clear: This is an election about policies, not personalities,” he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Now is not the time for intra-party squabbling and nonsense. We have 41 days to make our case. We can’t do it without all hands on deck.”

WRAL reported Monday that the departures from Robinson’s campaign were partially due to the candidate’s initial refusal to hire specialists to investigate the posts on the porn site — and potentially disprove CNN’s report, people directly familiar with the matter told WRAL on Monday.

The same day, Politico reported that Robinson’s account on Nude Africa was registered with an IP address near Winston-Salem, not far from where Robinson lived at the time. The account information was leaked during a 2018 data breach by Nude Africa’s parent website “Wife Lovers,” Politico reported.

On Monday, Robinson said he was compiling a team to challenge CNN’s reporting. On Tuesday, as more North Carolina Republicans challenged Robinson to offer more proof to support his denials, his campaign announced the hiring of Virginia-based attorney Jesse Binnall to investigate the posts.

Binnall has represented former President Donald Trump in several cases including efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and later defended Trump against claims from Capitol Police officers injured in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“I am confident that Binnall Law Group will leave no stone unturned and enable us to use every legal means to hold CNN accountable for their lies,” Robinson said in a statement Tuesday.

CNN didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Before Robinson announced he was hiring the lawyer, Sen. Thom Tillis said Tuesday that he would give Robinson until the end of this week to take stronger action to refute the claims. He previously said Robinson should sue if details in the report were indeed lies, as Robinson has claimed.

“If there’s no evidence to the contrary, anybody who is having an association with Lieutenant Governor Robinson needs to rethink whether or not that’s a good idea,” Tillis told reporters in Washington on Tuesday. “… If we’re having this discussion about no credible evidence in opposition to what [CNN] has introduced, it will have, I think, pretty significant consequences down the ballot.”

Robinson’s response to the CNN report has implications for candidates up and down North Carolina’s ballot. National Democratic groups, including Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, are airing television advertisements tying Robinson to Trump.

Trump endorsed Robinson and the two have shared the stage at many rallies, but the candidates haven’t shared the stage in more than a month.

National Democratic groups hope to chip away at some of Trump’s support in North Carolina by elevating his endorsement of Robinson.

In-state Democrats are using the same strategy in other races. Many North Carolina Republicans have received endorsements from Robinson or taken photos with him. North Carolina Democrats are accusing Republican legislative candidates of wanting to pursue Robinson’s agenda.

Republicans hold a supermajority in the state legislature, meaning they have enough votes to pass bills they want and override vetoes by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, provided they vote together. Democrats can break the supermajority though, by flipping a seat in either the state house or state senate.

For Republican legislative campaigns, that means the margin for error is slim. If voters sour on a Robinson ally due to the scandal, it could affect the GOP’s control on the General Assembly.

WRAL State Government Editor Jack Hagel and WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran contributed to this report.