Ohio Senator JD Vance faced backlash on Monday for perpetuating baseless rumors about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. Vance, who is in the running as Republican Donald Trump's vice presidential candidate, made conflicting statements defending the unfounded allegations during a rally in North Carolina. Despite the media's attempts to debunk the false claims, Vance criticized them for not focusing on local issues like school and healthcare stresses.

During the rally, Vance defended the rumors of Haitian immigrants stealing pets and eating them, attributing these claims to residents of Springfield. He accused the media of prioritizing disproving the story rather than investigating other pressing matters affecting the community. However, reports revealed that the source of the misinformation, a townsperson who filed a police report claiming her cat was missing, had later found the cat in her own basement.

Despite being confronted with evidence refuting the conspiracy theories, Vance continued to assert the importance of "investigating the truth," while avoiding questions about controversial statements made by North Carolina's GOP gubernatorial candidate, Mark Robinson. The Springfield Mayor denounced the spread of lies within the community and emphasized the need for factual reporting over harmful misinformation. As Vance navigated inquiries about his support for Robinson, he steered the conversation towards endorsing the people of North Carolina.