Senator Lindsey Graham says controversial GOP candidate Mark Robinson must defend himself

Senator Lindsey Graham said on NBC News' “Meet the Press” on Sunday that North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson “has a duty to defend himself” after reports surfaced last week that Robinson posted offensive material on a porn website more than a decade ago.

“The allegations are beyond disturbing,” said Graham, a South Carolina Republican, referring to a CNN report Thursday that said Robinson posted on a porn site in which he called himself a “black NAZI,” advocated for the reinstatement of slavery and described sexual acts. Robinson has denied the report, calling it “tabloid garbage” and vowed to stay in the race.

“If they are true, he is unfit for office,” Graham said. “If they are not true, he has the best libel suit in the history of the country.”

“If I were him, I would hire the best lawyer I could find. I would sue CNN,” Graham added, also saying Robinson “has a duty to defend himself” because “this issue hangs over his campaign.”

A CNN spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, the Democrat running against Robinson for governor, attacked former President Donald Trump and the lieutenant governor in an interview with CNN on Sunday, saying, “Robinson exists because Donald Trump supported him.”

“Mark Robinson could not exist without the support of Donald Trump,” Stein said, adding that all candidates across the ballot should be held accountable for their support of his campaign.

Graham added on Sunday's “Meet the Press” that the story, while controversial, would not affect Trump's chances of winning North Carolina in the Electoral College even if he and Robinson were on the same ballot.

Graham pointed to the 2016 and 2020 elections, in which Trump won the Tar Heel State both times, but Democratic Governor Roy Cooper also won his races.

“Trump won when the (Republican) gubernatorial candidate lost in 2016 and 2020,” Graham said.

The senator also spoke about his visit to Nebraska earlier this week, where he met with Republican Governor Jim Pillen and about two dozen Republican members of Nebraska's unicameral legislature to discuss revising state law that would allow for winner-take-all voting in the Electoral College this year.

Currently, Nebraska allocates its three Electoral College votes by congressional district, with the Republican candidate typically receiving two votes and the Democratic candidate receiving one. Maine is the only other state in the U.S. that participates in the Electoral College this way.

“To my friends in Nebraska,” Graham said Sunday, “this one electoral vote could make the difference between whether (Vice President Kamala) Harris becomes president or not, and it is a disaster for Nebraska and the world.”

He added: “The entire Nebraska federal delegation – representatives and two senators – want this change.”

Supporters of the amendment have said they do not yet have enough support to pass a law. Graham estimates the chances of the law being changed before Election Day are “50-50.”

On Thursday, Nebraska Republican Senator Pete Ricketts told NBC News that 48 states have an all-or-nothing voting system and that Nebraska should do the same.

“By not having it, we are disenfranchising our rural voters,” he added.

Ricketts also told NBC News that Graham is a “great spokesperson” for the movement calling for a change in Nebraska's Electoral College results. He added, “He knows very well why we need to make sure all of our voters have the opportunity to have their voices heard and what the other states are doing.”