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Former President Donald Trump and Ohio Senator JD Vance told "unrelenting lies" about Haitian immigrants eating dogs and cats, a court filing by a Haitian group has said.
"Trump and Vance have knowingly spread a false and dangerous narrative by claiming that Springfield, Ohio's Haitian community is criminally killing and eating neighbors' dogs and cats and killing and eating geese," the lawsuit by the Haitian Bridge Alliance, filed in the Clark County Municipal Court in Ohio, says.
"They accused Springfield's Haitians of bearing deadly disease. They repeated such lies during the presidential debate, at campaign rallies, during interviews on national television, and on social media. The direct impact on Springfield, Ohio of Trump's and Vance's unrelenting lies cannot be overstated."
It adds: "During the last two weeks, Springfield has received 33 bomb threats. Many public institutions have been forced to evacuate, and vital local resources have been diverted to investigate the barrage of threats to the community. As detailed in the attached, incorporated affidavit, the Haitian Bridge Alliance seeks arrest warrants for Trump and Vance because they disrupted public services."
In response to the Haitian Bridge Alliance's case, Steven Cheung, Trump's communications director, said in an emailed statement to Newsweek: "President Trump is rightfully highlighting the failed immigration system that Kamala Harris has overseen, bringing thousands of illegal immigrants pouring into communities like Springfield and many others across the country. President Trump will secure our border and put an end to the chaos that illegal immigration brings to our communities."
Subodh Chandra, who is bringing a criminal case against Trump and Vance on behalf of the Haitian Bridge Alliance advocacy group, told Newsweek on September 24 that the court can either issue arrest warrants or refer the case to prosecutors for further investigation.
"The statute requires the court, after affirming that there is probable cause, to issue arrest warrants or refer the matter to the prosecutor for further investigation," Chandra said.
The filing alleges that Trump and Vance disrupted public service "by causing widespread bomb and other threats that resulted in massive disruptions" to Springfield's public services. They have also been charged with making false alarms, telecommunications harassment, aggravated menacing and complicity.
Springfield has been dominating the headlines over the past three weeks after false claims were made that Haitian migrants, who are in the United States legally, have been killing pets and eating them.
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, and his running mate, Vance, have repeated these claims. On September 10, in his first presidential debate with Democrat Kamala Harris, Trump repeated the claim: "In Springfield, they're eating the dogs—the people that came in. They're eating the cats."
The filing includes a transcript of Trump making his claims about Haitians during the presidential debate.
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About the writer
Sean O'Driscoll is a Newsweek Senior Crime and Courts Reporter based in Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. law. ... Read more