JD Vance Slammed For 'Ludicrous And Stupid' Attack On Haitian Immigrants
A White House national security spokesperson on Tuesday denounced Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance’s “dangerous” comments suggesting Haitian immigrants were stealing and eating people’s pets.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby addressed Vance’s baseless claims shortly after the Ohio senator doubled down on them.
“This kind of disinformation is dangerous because there will be people that believe it no matter how ludicrous and stupid it is,” Kirby said at a press briefing. “And they might act on that kind of information and act on it in a way where somebody could get hurt. So, it needs to stop.”
He also added that Vance’s comments are clearly “based on an element of racism.”
Florida lawmakers also stood up for Haitians and Haitian Americans in response to Vance’s comments.
Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), whose district encompasses part of Miami-Dade County, home to the highest concentration of Haitian immigrants in the U.S., called Vance’s comments despicable.
“It’s vile, and for any American, any person who lives here or governs here, to think that’s normal to say and to be accepting of that kind of verbiage, is unconscionable,” Wilson told HuffPost on Tuesday.
“He’s already talked about the cat ladies, and he’s talked about what grandmothers need to do. I mean, this man is nuts,” she added.
Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), whose district is further north in Orlando, also slammed Vance.
“JD Vance and GOP leaders’ racially motivated attacks against Haitian people are disgusting, bigoted and based on flat-out lies,” he said in a statement.
And Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), when asked about furor over Vance’s comments, offered praise for the Haitian community in Florida.
“I’ve got a wonderful experience with