JD Vance false conspiracy about Haitian immigrants is 'dangerous,' Biden NSC spokesman says

• A Biden administration official said it was "dangerous" for Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance to promote a false conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were stealing and eating pets.
• "Yet another conspiracy theory that's just seeking to divide people based on lies, and, let's be honest, based on an element of racism," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
• Police in Springfield, Ohio, said they had no information that backs up the conspiracy theory, and Vance later admitted the claim may turn out to be false.
• Vance initially made his claim a day before Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was due to debate Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, in Philadelphia.

A Biden administration official on Tuesday said it was "dangerous" for Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance of Ohio to promote a false conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants were stealing and eating other people's pets.

The scathing criticism came as Vance admitted that "it's possible" that the rumor he spread of pet eating by immigrants would turn out to be false, and as police in Springfield, Ohio, said they had no information to back up the conspiracy theory.

"What's deeply concerning to us is you've got now elected officials in the Republican Party pushing, you know, yet another conspiracy theory that's just seeking to divide people based on lies, and, let's be honest, based on an element of racism," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters, reacting to Vance's initial claim of pet eating.

"This kind of language, this kind of disinformation, is, is dangerous because there will be people that believe it no matter how ludicrous and stupid it is, and they might