Gov. Bill Lee, who heads the Republican Governors Association, declined to say Monday whether he thinks North Carolina Republican gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson should drop out following reporting that he described himself as a “Black nazi” on a social media porn forum.

Lee had been scheduled to appear as a “special guest” at the fundraiser, which was scheduled for Tuesday. On Friday, Lee spokeswoman Elizabeth Johnson told The Tennessean the event had been canceled.

The change of heart came as the RGA and two subsidiary entities under Lee’s direction had plowed $17.3 million into the contest, according to Adimpact, which tracks political advertising spending. 

Lee, who was in Chattanooga on Monday to chair a panel of the Southern States Energy Board, was asked by a Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter whether the RGA is still backing Robinson.

“The Governors Association is not supporting Gov. Robinson going forward,” Lee responded initially. He was then pressed if the move came in response to a CNN story outlining the allegations.

“Actually, let me just say this,” Lee said. “RGA decided not to participate in an event. And that decision was prior to the CNN story’s breaking. But the RGA has decided not to participate in an event which I was going to be a part of.”

Asked whether he thinks Robinson should abandon his effort, Lee instead fielded a question from a Tennessee Valley Authority spokesman about energy policy.

Robinson denies having posted the comments on the message board more than a decade ago. The now-deleted posts under his name said Robinson, who has attacked the transgender community, enjoyed watching transgender porn and also referred to himself as a “perv.” The posts said he would like to own slaves. 

Robinson, who denies he made the posts, told a North Carolina reporter Monday that “we absolutely are” going to sue CNN. Meanwhile, a number of his top staffers have quit the campaign.

The RGA did not respond to a Tennessee Journal request Monday on whether the organization will continue to spend money on Robinson’s uphill battle against North Carolina’s Democrat attorney general Josh Stein, who has been leading in polls.

The Robinson event, which was canceled, was scheduled in advance of a Donald Trump rally in Wilmington as the former president runs to reclaim the White House. Trump has been a vocal supporter of Robinson, comparing him with civil rights champion Martin Luther King Jr. 

A New York Times/Siena College poll released Monday shows Stein leads Robinson by 10 percentage points. The survey of 682 voters has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.2 percentage points.

Two Tennessee-based GOP political strategists were aghast by Lee dropping prior plans to attend the Robinson fundraiser, fretting its impact on contests up and down the ballot. But another Tennessee GOP strategist here sympathized with Lee, acknowledging Robinson “has got some serious challenges now.”

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