Robinson Family Matters: Lawyering up on TWO different fronts
We heard this past week about a “cease-and-desist” effort being launched by Mark Robinson‘s gubernatorial campaign against Democrat Josh Stein over a Stein-produced ad criticizing Robinson’s management of a daycare center he used to own. The two DC-based lawyers repping Robinson in this effort – Charlie Spies and Benjamin Mehr — have previously served as counsel for the Republican National Committee in Washington, DC. So, that’s TWO expensive lawyers who need to be paid. (Of course, a case can be made that this matter is campaign-related and can be paid for by campaign funds.)
The second front is, of course, Balanced Nutrition. An important deadline passed yesterday in Mark Robinson and Yolanda Hill’s dispute with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. (You may remember that a review of the first quarter of 2024 of NINE of Balanced Nutrition‘s 100 clients concluded that Balanced Nutrition and its officials owe the state more than $132,000.)
On July 24, the state Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) publicly released a letter declaring a “serious deficiency” at Balanced Nutrition. The state agency gave Hill & co. 14 days to produce some sort of rebuttal (aka a “plan of correction”) to address the agency’s findings.
The deadline ended yesterday with two more expensive lawyers debuting in the Mark Robinson political drama. Raleigh-based Envisage Law submitted a letter to state officials asking for an “informal conference’‘ between them, their clients, and state officials regarding the findings against Balanced Nutrition. The Robinson attorneys – James Lawrence and Anthony Biller – are seeking a meeting with state officials regarding Balanced Nutrition the week of September 16. (Some of you may remember that Lawrence represented three delegates to the 2023 NCGOP state convention in their complaint against the state party. )
You may recall that Yolanda also lawyered up when DHHS tried to initiate the review that produced the aforementioned July 24 letter.
It’s a good question to ask WHO will be paying the bill for these two guys. Balanced Nutrition is clearly not a campaign matter. (The Robinson team has yet to inform us WHO paid for Mark & Yolanda’s stay at a $30,000-per-week beachfront home in Virginia Beach. So, I’m not holding my breath, here.)
Mark & Yolanda have quite a history of financial troubles. (They recently took out a $96,000 line-of-credit against their Guilford County home. That’s not something people flush with cash tend to do.) With Balanced Nutrition no longer generating revenue for them, I’d be surprised if they have much disposable income laying around.
One of the best methods for making things cost more and take longer is to get lawyers involved. If NC DHHS goes for Lawrence and Biller’s proposal, the Balanced Nutrition kerfuffle remains in limbo until (at least) about one-and-a-half months before Election Day.
Something else to consider: Sources familiar with the inner workings of the state DHHS tell us this is a perfect scenario for the state to hand the whole enchilada off to the feds — specifically the US Department of Agriculture. The money involved in the daycare feeding originated at the federal level. (DHHS only managed the program as a pass-through.)
This affair hanging around at DHHS creates a politically-uncomfortable environment 
for Roy Cooper and Josh Stein. Cooper, as governor, is responsible for the operations at DHHS. Stein, as the chief law enforcer for the state, would be responsible for investigating the matter. Kicking everything upstairs to the feds will make breathing a lot easier for quite a few folks in our capital city. (At least that is what I’m told.)
I was home with the storm and decided to watch Donald Trump’s Press Conference and was just floored. Inflation out of control and he’s talking about the crowd size of events. I”m just floored when I see him and Mark Robinson talk. I’m going to vote for both, but this could go very badly for our side.
Robinson gained his notoriety by telling people what he thinks they want to hear. He has no substance or plan when he talks, except for displaying a middle school mentality every time he opens his mouth. The sooner “Rerun” realizes he’s in over his head, the better off the state will be. He is pathetic. Folwell should have been the nominee hands down.