Lt. Gov. Robinson calls reporter question regarding ‘killing’ comment ‘shameful’

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson called questions regarding his comments about some folks needing to be killed “silly” and “shameful.” CBS 17’s Capitol reporter Michael Hyland approached Robinson on Wednesday morning, asking for clarification on a speech made at a church.

Lt. Gov. Robinson is running for governor but rarely agrees to interviews. During a speech at a church earlier this month, Robinson brought up America’s enemies during WWII but then went on to talk about people on the left politically. Robinson was quoted as saying, “Some folks need killing.”

The comments gained national attention. The Lt. Gov.’s campaign has called the matter “A dishonest smear.” They said Robinson is being taken out of context.

Robinson held a Medal of Valor Ceremony in honor of Lt. Lindsey Moses-Winnings with the Craven County Sheriff’s Office. Robinson’s staff did not want reporters asking the Lt. Gov. about anything other than the ceremony.

CBS 17’s Michael Hyland offered Robinson an opportunity to clarify his comments.

During their exchange, CBS 17’s Michael Hyland asked, “Lt. Gov. Robinson could you please clarify what you meant by the comments you made recently about some folks need killing?”

In response, a member of Robinson’s team told Hyland, “I just told you that if you had questions about what happened in there today, he would answer them. This day is about–“

Lt. Gov. Robinson interjected saying, “That’s all you got out of that ceremony? That’s all you got out of it? You wanna come out here and you wanna besmirch this lady’s award by coming out there and asking me that silly question. That’s what you got out of this?

“There’s your answer. Shameful. That’s what it is. Pure shameful.”

While a representative for Robinson claimed the Lt. Gov. would comment on the day’s event, he did not stop to talk to reporters about the ceremony.

The speech Robinson gave on June 30 can still be viewed in its entirety on Lake Church’s Facebook page .

Robinson commented that “some folks need killing” as he discussed the enemies of the United States and the Allied Powers during World War II.

“We now find ourselves struggling with people with evil intent. There was a time when we used to meet evil on the battlefield. And guess what we did to it? We killed it. We didn’t quibble about it. We didn’t argue about it. We didn’t fight about it. We killed it. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, what did we do? We flew to Japan and we killed the Japanese army and navy,” Robinson said.

He continued, “We didn’t even quibble about it. I didn’t start this fight, you did! You want to be left alone, you should have left me alone. We didn’t argue and capitulate and talk about, ‘Well, maybe we shouldn’t fight the Nazis that hard.’ No, they’re bad. Kill them. Some liberal somewhere is gonna say that sounds awful. Too bad. Get mad at me if you want to. Some folks need killing.”

It’s unclear specifically who the lieutenant governor was referring to in his comments about people today “with evil intent.”

He went on to say, “We have wicked people doing wicked things, torturing and murdering and raping. It’s time to call out those guys in green and go have them handle it. Or those boys in blue and have them go handle it. We need to start handling our business again.”

Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein, who is running against Robinson, said Robinson’s comments at the church were another example of “violent rhetoric.”

“Promoting political violence is absolutely unacceptable. The way our democracy works is for people to have free exchange of ideas and do so knowing that they will be safe,” Stein said Wednesday.

Stein spoke with CBS 17 as he toured Durham Technical Community College. He also weighed in on the debate within the Democratic Party about whether President Joe Biden should continue to run for re-election. North Carolina is a key state that Biden’s campaign is attempting to flip this year and could have an impact on other Democratic candidates, including Stein.

The attorney general appeared at President Biden’s recent rally in Raleigh the day after the debate against former President Donald Trump.

“The decision is entirely up to the president. He has all the delegates. And, he has indicated he is running for re-election. And, there’s no question that I think our future as a country is better with him as the president rather than his opponent. I am running for governor. We are applying for different jobs,” Stein said Wednesday.

He went on to say his focus is on trying to draw a contrast with Lt. Gov. Robinson in the race for governor.

When asked if Stein has any concerns about the president’s capacity to serve, Stein said, “The president is the only one who can decide whether he’s going to go forward. I am focused on doing everything I can to make sure that the people of North Carolina understand the clear choice that they face.”

Robinson campaign spokesperson Mike Lonergan responded to Stein’s comments in an email, saying, “It is disgraceful that Biden cheerleader and far-left career politician Josh Stein won’t admit to the voters what we’ve been saying for a long time – and even Biden’s own Justice Department admits – that the President is unfit to serve as commander-in-chief.”

“This is just the latest example of the Biden-Stein agenda putting their partisan politics over their massive failures, like rising crime, open borders and crippling inflation,” Lonergan continued. “The solution is to vote Biden, Stein, and the Democrats out, elect Mark Robinson governor, and put President Trump back in the White House this November.”

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