A Haitian-rights group is seeking the arrest of former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, over them repeating unfounded claims about Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, eating pets.
These claims, which local authorities say lack any credible evidence, led to bomb threats, the closures of public buildings, and event cancellations.
The Haitian Bridge Alliance filed an affidavit on Tuesday in Clark County Municipality Court asking the judge to charge Trump and Vance with violating seven Ohio statutes.
The affidavit, filed by Guerline Jozef, the cofounder of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, accused the two men of violating state statutes, including disrupting public services, making false alarms, telecommunications harassment, and aggravated menacing.
It asked that the court find probable cause that criminal charges are warranted for the “violated” statutes because of the “harmful lies repeatedly spewed” by Trump and Vance.
During his recent presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump said: “In Springfield, they are eating the dogs. The people who came in, they are eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
Trump and Vance have continued to amplify the rumors, which the affidavit said have been repeated at campaign rallies, during television interviews, and on social media.
“The direct impact on Springfield, Ohio of Trump and Vance’s unrelenting lies cannot be overstated,” it said.
Locals told Business Insider earlier this month that the claims had created a tense and, some said, dangerous atmosphere in the Ohio town.
The affidavit went on to say that Springfield has received bomb threats — at least 33, per Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine — and that, as a consequence, public institutions had been forced to evacuate.
Jozef and the Haitian Bridge Alliance, in the affidavit, pushed for a decision “before Trump fulfills his threat to visit Springfield — despite Mayor Rob Rue’s request that he not do so — so that he may be arrested upon arrival for his criminal acts.”
Trump and Vance’s offices did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
