‘If I Have to Create Stories…’ JD Vance Defends Pushing Baseless Migrant Pet Eating Smear in Jaw-Dropping, Trainwreck CNN Interview

Vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) defended pushing the baseless smear of Haitian migrants eating household pets in Springfield, OH — a claim which has been widely debunked.

In a shocking 16-minute interview on CNN Sunday, the Ohio senator was called out by CNN’s Dana Bash for peddling the claims.

“Before Donald Trump talked about eating dogs and cats on a debate stage, it was you, Senator, who first elevated this baseless rumor,” Bash said. “These are your constituents. So why are you putting them at risk by continuing to spread claims about Haitian immigrants, despite officials in your state saying that there’s no evidence and pleading for you to stop?”

“My constituents have brought approximately a dozen separate concerns to me, 10 of them are verifiable and confirmable,” Vance said. “And a couple of them I talk about because my constituents are telling me firsthand that they’re seeing these things. So I have two options, Dana. I could ignore them, which is what the American media has done for years to this community. Or I can actually talk about what people are telling me.”

Vance went on to peddle a claim that migrants were capturing geese from a local pond and eating them — claiming 911 calls confirm that claim. Bash promptly fact checked the senator.

“Thee Clark County sheriff and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reviewed 11 months of 911 calls,” Bash said. “They only identified two instances of people alleging Haitians were taking geese out of parks. They found zero evidence to substantiate those claims.”

She went on to call out the senator over the numerous bomb threats received by schools and hospitals in Springfield in recent days.

“Nobody is disputing that the that the town of Springfield, Ohio, needs help,” Bash said. “But you’re not just a bystander. You’re the senator from Ohio. So instead of saying things that are are wrong and actually causing the hospitals, the schools, the government buildings to be evacuated because of bomb threats, because of the cats and dogs thing, why not actually be constructive in helping to better integrate them into the community?”

Vance, in response, got indignant.

“I think [that’s] frankly disgusting and is more appropriate for a Democratic propagandist than it is for an American journalist!” Vance said. “There is nothing that I have said that has led to threats against these hospitals, these hospitals, the bomb threats and so forth. It’s disgusting. The violence is disgusting. We condemn it.”

“Senator this happened after you and President Trump on the debate stage said that cats and dogs were being eaten!” Bash replied.

“You just accused me of inciting violence against the community when all I have done is surface the complaints of my constituents, people who are suffering because of Kamala Harris’s policies,” Vance said. “Are we not allowed to talk about these problems because some psychopaths are threatening violence?”

Vance went on to make a truly shocking comment in defense of his pushing the smear.

“The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes,” Vance said. “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do, Dana, because you guys are completely letting Kamala Harris coast.”

Bash called out Vance over his stunning admission.

“You just said this is a story that you created.”

“Yes!” Vance said.

“So the eating dogs and cats thing is not accurate,” Bash said.

“Dana, it comes from firsthand accounts from my constituents,” Vance responded. “I say that we’re creating a story, meaning we’re creating the American media focusing on it. I didn’t create 20,000 illegal migrants coming into Springfield thanks to Kamala Harris’s policies. Her policies did that. But yes, we created the actual focus that allowed the American media to talk about this story and the suffering caused by Kamala Harris’s policies.”

Watch above, via CNN.