Technology

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) defended himself Tuesday against criticism over his amplification of false claims that Haitian immigrants had abducted and eaten other people’s pets in Springfield, Ohio.

Vance wrote in a post on the social platform X that his office has received “many inquiries” in the past few weeks from residents of Springfield who said Haitian migrants abducted their neighbors’ pets or local wildlife.

“It’s possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false,” he said.

Claims of Haitian migrants eating pets spread online over the weekend, with conservative-leaning national figures including Charlie Kirk and Elon Musk posting about them. A local Springfield resident first made the claim at a City Commission meeting in late August, alleging Haitian immigrants were killing ducks in the park for food, among other allegations.

But the Springfield Police Department has said it has not received any reports of anyone stealing or eating pets.

On Monday, Vance posted a video of himself reading a letter during a meeting of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee in July. The letter from Springfield city manager Bryan Heck described the city’s difficulties with keeping up with housing for an increasing number of Haitian immigrants.

But Vance added in his post a reference to the pet-eating claim.

Heck told The Hill on Monday that false allegations like this one are distractions from the real...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMigAFBVV95cUxNTDJDeDBVVkc2WjkwRm15NEY5...