CNN —
The Trump campaign continued to push false claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, even after a top city leader told a campaign staffer for its vice presidential nominee ahead of this month’s presidential debate the rumors were “baseless,” the city’s mayor said, confirming a Wall Street Journal report.
A staffer of vice presidential candidate JD Vance called Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck on September 9 and asked if there was any truth in rumors that Haitian immigrants were taking and eating pets in Springfield, Heck told the Journal.
“He asked point-blank, ‘Are the rumors true of pets being taken and eaten?’” Heck told the outlet. “I told him no. There was no verifiable evidence or reports to show this was true. I told them these claims were baseless.”
“Yes, that call was made,” Springfield Mayor Rob Rue told CNN’s “Laura Coates Live” Thursday. “The answer was given, and what has happened since then has happened.”
Haitians fled their country for peace. Now, many are having it disrupted in Springfield
CNN has made repeated attempts to reach Heck for comment.
During the debate the day after the city official discredited the rumor, former President Donald Trump parroted the false claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are stealing and eating local pets, casting the Midwestern community into an unwelcome national spotlight that has stoked threats of violence against its residents.
Since the September 10 debate, Springfield has received more than...
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A 10-count indictment charges two defendants with conspiracy to defraud the United States and making false claims for over three million dollars in tax refunds, announced U.S. At...