Washington — Sen. JD Vance, the Republican nominee for vice president, on Sunday defended amplifying debunked claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, while refusing to correct the record amid threats to the community in recent days.
"People are frustrated with the national media attention. Some people are also grateful that finally, someone is paying attention to what's going on," Vance, Ohio's junior senator, said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." "You're never going to get this stuff perfect."
Vance and former President Donald Trump, along with other allies, have amplified baseless rumors about immigrants in the Ohio city in recent days. On Sept. 9, Vance wrote in a post on X that people "have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country," while putting the blame on the Biden-Harris administration. Then, Trump reiterated the claim during the presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, before pledgeding to deport the legal Haitian immigrants to Venezuela days later.
Meanwhile, there have been bomb threats in recent days against schools and hospitals in the Springfield area, according to officials, sending hospitals into lockdowns and prompting multiple schools to evacuate.
Vance condemned the threats of violence on Sunday, making clear that the individuals who made the threats should be "prosecuted to the full extent of the law." But he added that "we don't believe in a heckler's veto in this country."
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