Pa. Gov. Shapiro says Vance's 'bonkers' claim about Haitians eating pets puts lives at risk

WASHINGTON — Republican vice-presidential nominee J.D. Vance on Sunday doubled down on debunked allegations that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating residents' pets, leading Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to accuse him of "putting Americans at risk."

Shapiro made his comments on CNN's "State of the Union" after Vance insisted on the same program that Springfield residents are "telling me this stuff is happening."

"That was bonkers," Shapiro said. "This guy is so pathetic. But the thing is, it is dangerous. There is a causal connection between the B.S. that JD Vance and Donald Trump spew and the safety and security of the American people. When they go out and they lie about this stuff, they put their fellow Americans at risk."

Bomb threats have forced three Springfield-area hospitals and a local university to go on lockdown in the days since the debate.

Springfield police have debunked reports of Haitians eating cats and dogs, which first appeared on social media. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said there was "no evidence of that at all" and Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said the claims were "hurting our citizens and hurting our community."

Meanwhile, an ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday put Harris ahead of Trump among likely voters, 52% to 46%, outside the survey's margin of error of 2 percentage points. Harris led by the same amount after the Democratic National Convention in August. Americans said she won the debate by 58% to 36%.

Vance, who represents Ohio in the U.S. Senate, wasn't backing down Sunday.

"The evidence is the firsthand account of my constituents who are telling me that this happened," Vance said on CNN. "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."

According to the city of Springfield, there are 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants, and all of the Haitians were there legally under federal programs. Haitians, like residents of 15 other countries, are eligible for Temporary Protected Status, where wars or disasters prevent residents from returning home.

The false allegations have captured outsized attention since former President Donald Trump amplified them during Tuesday's debate against Vice President Kamala Harris. "In Springfield, they're eating dogs," Trump said. "They're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what's happening in our country, and it's a shame."

Since then, city officials said they have received bomb threats. On Saturday, Wittenberg University in Springfield said it had received an email threatening attacks against Haitians on campus.

"JD Vance should be ashamed of himself. He knows better," Shapiro said. "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. ...This guy should know better. It's shameful what he did."

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