RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) said Wednesday that the vote he missed last week to concur with Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s request to declare a state of emergency ahead of Hurricane Helene “didn’t matter” because it would have been approved anyway.
Cooper sent his request to the other members of the Council of State, a group of 10 statewide elected officials, last Tuesday, Sept. 24.
All the other members responded by the next morning concurring with the governor except for Robinson, records show.
Cooper’s request came as half of Robinson’s government staff were resigning following CNN’s story last month about comments they said he made on a pornographic website.
“I don’t even need to cover why because here’s the bottom line. That vote was gonna pass with or without my vote. So, it was absolutely inconsequential, me voting. It didn’t matter,” Robinson said. “What did matter was this. When this storm was brewing and raging our governor wasn’t even in this state. He was in New York at a fund raiser for Kamala Harris.”
While Cooper was in New York City last week on Wednesday, his office said he did not attend a fundraiser and was back in the state that afternoon.
In a statement, Cooper spokesperson Jordan Monaghan referenced the lieutenant governor’s social media posts over the last several days as he’s visited western North Carolina, helped bring supplies and toured damaged areas.
Robinson has posted about meeting people affected by the storm but also criticized the state and federal response, including saying “Joe Biden and the federal government failed to act.”
“An online disinformation campaign by the Lt. Governor during an unprecedented crisis is unhelpful, causes confusion in areas with limited communications and potentially puts lives at risk,” Monaghan said. “State, federal and local partners are leading a massive, coordinated response to a catastrophic storm. The Governor declared a state of emergency well before this storm hit, has led public briefings from the Emergency Operations Center since last week, and continues to visit affected regions to coordinate more resources. Resources from across the state and country are deployed to help the people and communities of western North Carolina.”
President Biden on Wednesday announced 1,000 active-duty troops are being deployed to help with response and recovery efforts and would join hundreds of North Carolina National Guard members who the state had already deployed. Biden was scheduled to take part in an aerial tour of the damaged communities on Wednesday.
The Biden administration noted that more than 4,800 federal personnel are deployed and helping states impacted by Helene.
On Tuesday, Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said his state was sending staff and heavy equipment from his state’s Department of Transportation to help North Carolina.
Robinson responded, “Florida is going to rebuild the roads in North Carolina.”
Ardis Watkins, executive director of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, said the lieutenant governor’s comments were “desperate and despicable.”
“DOT not getting recognition for having planned for this, been there the whole time, they’re clearing debris. They’re finding bodies in some of the debris, is what we’re being told,” said Watkins. “The lieutenant governor clearly has the goal of making it look like the state’s doing nothing, that state leaders aren’t putting things in place, that those leaders aren’t communicating to their employees and getting the job done. That’s where we’re not going to have it.”
SEANC’s political arm, EMPAC, has endorsed Robinson’s opponent in the governor’s race, Atty. Gen. Josh Stein (D).
“It seems to me the lieutenant governor had one job prior to this disaster and it was to go and vote so we could get disaster relief. And, the one thing he could have done, he didn’t do,” said Watkins. “Across the board, irrespective of political party, they’re ticked off that we have someone that wants to be the boss of all the Cabinet agencies who has completely disrespected state employees this way.”
Robinson responded to SEANC, saying his comments weren’t targeted at the state workers.
“State employees don’t run this state. They’re not the chief executive. The governor is. Any blame for any failure should be laid on his shoulders. And, that’s the reason why we’re doing this. This doesn’t have anything to do with campaigning,” said Robinson.
Morgan Hopkins, a spokesperson for Atty. Gen. Stein, said, “Folks’ lives are on the line. Now is the time to come together and do everything we can to show up for our neighbors – not to play politics. Josh will continue to focus on what has always been his priority as Attorney General: to fight for and protect North Carolinians.”
Robinson said he would continue working to gather supplies to help with the recovery.
“I can guarantee you somebody out there after all this is over is gonna look at me and say, you know, you were a hero for what you did. I can guarantee you someone is going to say that, whether it’s somebody I love, a constituent, no matter what it is. But, I can tell you this, to quote a soldier from World War II, here in North Carolina, I am not a hero, folks. But, I serve in a state full of heroes,” he said.
