We are less than two months away from, perhaps, the most consequential presidential election in our nation’s history and one of the major topics is … a story about dogs and cats being eaten by Haitian immigrants in an Ohio town.
The story is false. According to local and state officials, there is no evidence whatsoever that it is true.
And so it would be completely silly and ridiculous and a complete waste of our time to even talk about it if it wasn’t so racist and dangerous. It also would be easy to dismiss if it wasn’t being championed by a man who wants to be vice president of the United States.
Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate, went on three Sunday morning shows and doubled down on the baseless claim that pets are being eaten. Not only did he double down, but surprisingly, he told CNN’s Dana Bash that he had created the story to get people to pay attention. He actually used that word, “create.”
On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Bash asked what evidence Vance had for repeating these stories about pets being eaten in Springfield. He said he had heard the stories from supposed firsthand accounts from constituents who told him this is happening.
Vance told Bash, “The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
Bash, as a good reporter should, jumped on Vance’s strange description, saying, “You just said that this is a story that you created.”
Vance answered, “It comes from firsthand accounts from my constituents. I say that we’re creating a story, meaning we’re creating the American media focusing on it. I didn’t create 20,000 illegal migrants coming into Springfield thanks to Kamala Harris’ policies. Her policies did that. 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.”
Created is such an odd word choice.
What’s also curious is that Vance insisted that the “American media” should focus on this story. When the media actually did focus on that story and did, you know, actual reporting, they discovered the story was simply not true.
Again, local officials have said there is no credible evidence that this has happened. When asked on ABC’s “This Week” if he has seen any evidence that Haitian immigrants were eating pets, Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said, “No, absolutely not.”
Yet Vance plows forward.
The story also has created dangerous issues in Springfield, Ohio. Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said on “State of the Union” that the city is going through a “very difficult time,” adding that city officials, including city commissioners, have received threats the past few days.
CNN’s Kit Maher and Chris Boyette reported, “The city hall in Springfield was forced to close due to a bomb threat on Thursday. Two elementary schools were evacuated Friday ‘based on information received from the Springfield Police Division,’ the Springfield City School District announced. Two local hospitals were also forced into lockdown due to bomb threats Saturday, according to statements sent to CNN.”
Vance refused to take any responsibility for the problems caused by the false rumor, telling Bash, “Dana, first of all, let me just respond to a couple of things that you said, but I want to start with something you said, which I think is frankly disgusting and is more appropriate for a Democratic propagandist than it is for an American journalist. There is nothing that I have said that has led to threats against these hospitals. These hospitals, the bomb threats, and so forth, it’s disgusting. The violence is disgusting. We condemn it. We condemn all violence.”
Vance continued, “What we have said is that this town has suffered terribly … under the policies of Kamala Harris. Now, you just (accused) me of inciting violence against the community when all that I’ve done is surface the complaints of my constituents, people who are suffering because of Kamala Harris’s policies. Are we not allowed to talk about these problems because some psychopaths are threatening violence?”
Rue told CNN that he has not heard directly from Vance.
During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” DeWine said, “This discussion about Haitians eating dogs, it’s just not helpful. And again, these people are here legally. They're here legally, and they want to work, and they are, in fact, working. And when you talk to the employers, what the employers tell you is, you know, we don't know what we would do without them. … This discussion just has to stop. We need to focus on moving forward and not dogs and cats be eaten. It’s just ridiculous.”
Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro told Bash on “State of the Union,” “When they go out and they lie about this stuff, they put their fellow Americans at risk. JD Vance should be ashamed of himself. He knows better.”
Shapiro added, “He just doesn’t understand the power of his words, the power of his lies, and those lies are putting people at risk. This is dangerous stuff.”
Shapiro also said of Vance, “This guy is so pathetic.”
Meanwhile, despite pushback from NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker that there is no evidence that pets are being eaten in Springfield, Vance said, “I trust my constituents more than I do the American media that has shown no interest in what's happened in Springfield until we started sharing cat memes on the internet.”
Vance made similar comments when confronted by CBS “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan.
