JD Vance defends unfounded rumor that Haitian immigrants eat pets

CNN
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Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance on Sunday repeated false claims that Haitian immigrants are eating the pets of Springfield, Ohio residents.

When asked to back up his claims in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union,” Vance pointed to firsthand accounts from voters who told him this was happening, but offered no evidence.

“The American media completely ignored this issue until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes. If I have to make up stories to get the American media to actually pay attention to the suffering of the American people, then I will do that,” said the senator from Ohio.

Bash replied, “You just said that this is a story you made up.”

Vance said, “It comes from first-hand accounts from my constituents. I say we are creating a story, which means we are creating the American media that focuses on it. I did not cause 20,000 illegal immigrants to come to Springfield thanks to Kamala Harris’ policies. That is what her policies did. But yes, we created the actual focus that allowed the American media to talk about this story and the suffering caused by Kamala Harris’ policies.”

Springfield Mayor: ‘No Verifiable’ Claim That Haitian Immigrants Eat Pets

The City of Springfield notes on its website that approximately 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants live in Clark County and that Haitian immigrants are legally residing there under a parole program that allows citizens and legal residents to apply for their family members to immigrate from Haiti to the United States.

Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, categorically denied the rumor on Sunday and praised the immigrants for their positive influence on the community.

“No. Absolutely not,” DeWine said on ABC’s “This Week” when asked if he had seen any evidence of immigrants eating pets.

“But let me tell you what we know. What we know is that the Haitians who are in Springfield are legal,” the governor said. “They came to Springfield to work.”

On Tuesday, Vance said it was possible that the claim about Haitian immigrants was not true, but urged his followers to continue posting “cat memes.”

Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said Sunday the city is going through “a very difficult time,” adding that it would be helpful if politicians who spread obviously untrue rumors “understood the weight of their words.” He said city officials, including aldermen, have been threatened for the past three consecutive days.

“We’re in such a bright spotlight that it’s hard to see some of the things that we really need to focus on, and that’s certainly been difficult,” the mayor told Bash on the “State of the Union” show, adding, “We’re concerned about the safety of our community and that’s what we’re focused on right now.”

Springfield City Hall was closed Thursday due to a bomb threat. Two elementary schools were evacuated Friday “based on information from Springfield Police,” the Springfield City School District said. Two local hospitals were also closed Saturday due to bomb threats, according to statements to CNN.

Vance rejected the notion that his rhetoric led to bomb threats.

Springfield father accuses JD Vance of politicizing his son’s death. Hear Vance’s reaction

“Nothing I said would have led to threats against these hospitals, bomb threats and so on,” Vance said.

“The mayor of Springfield is dealing with a lot of terrible things. I obviously feel for the man and we will try to help him. But he did not accuse me of making a bomb threat. He simply did not do that,” Vance said later in the interview.

“I simply brought to the surface the grievances of my constituents who suffer under Kamala Harris’ policies. Are we not allowed to talk about these problems because some psychopaths are threatening violence?” he added.

Rue said he had not heard anything directly from Vance, “and that’s fine,” but said the senator and others spreading the rumors should know that authorities in Springfield are telling the truth.

DeWine acknowledged that Springfield is having some problems adjusting to the influx of mostly Haitian immigrants under the federal immigration program, but said authorities are working on it.

“When you add 15,000 from a population of 58,000, you’re going to have some challenges and problems,” the Ohio governor said in his ABC interview. “And we’re addressing those. That’s what we’re working on every day.”

Vance said he was hearing directly from voters about these concerns and had specifically addressed an issue about geese.

“My constituents have brought to me about a dozen different concerns. Ten of them are verifiable and corroborable, and a couple of them I’m talking about because my constituents are telling me firsthand that they’re seeing these things. So I have two options, Dana: I can ignore them, which is what the American media has been doing to this community for years, or I can actually talk about what people are telling me,” Vance said.

“My attitude is to listen to my constituents. Sometimes they say things that people don’t like, but they say things that people don’t like because their city has been overwhelmed, and it’s my job to fight for them and protect them,” Vance said.

This story has been updated with further developments.