Vance is still pushing debunked Haitian pet-eating story claiming residents can’t ‘speak their truth’

JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, has suggested that the people of Springfield, Ohio, have been prevented from speaking “their truth” after a rumor about the town’s Haitian immigrants was repeatedly and thoroughly debunked.

Haitian immigrants in the town have been baselessly accused of stealingdomestic pets, including dogs and cats, and eating them.

Vance has continued to push the claim even after town officials issued denials, and former President Donald Trump aggressively repeated the allegations from the ABC News debate stage on September 10.

The Ohio senator lambasted the media for “debunking” the story during a campaign stop in North Carolina on Monday.

“I wish the American media was half as interested in the stress on the local schools, the stress on the hospitals, and unaffordable housing as they are in debunking a story that comes from the residents of Springfield,” Vance said.

“Did you ever think about listening to people speak their truth instead of listening to some bureaucrat and assuming that everything they tell you is true?” he asked.

Springfield Mayor Rob Rue recently appeared on CNN, saying: “I think it’s important to know… our governor has trusted the local government here because… we do know what’s going on, and we hear concerns about the community, but you know, we have told America that this story isn’t true.”

He added: “There’s no reason for us other than to tell you the truth. We care about our community. We don’t want lies spread around like has happened for the last 12 to 13 days.”

Ohio Republican Representative Mike Turner, whose district includes Springfield, appeared on CNN last week saying, “This certainly is incredibly tragic and completely untrue … And this should