{"id":2341871,"date":"2024-09-16T14:16:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T18:16:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vance-pushing-rumors-about-springfield-after-first-poster-walked-back-comments-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-16T14:17:57","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T18:17:57","slug":"vance-pushing-rumors-about-springfield-after-first-poster-walked-back-comments-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vance-pushing-rumors-about-springfield-after-first-poster-walked-back-comments-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Vance pushing rumors about Springfield after first poster walked back comments &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvance-pushing-rumors-about-springfield-after-first-poster-walked-back-comments-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2341871&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Erika Lee, \u200bthe author of\u200d a viral Facebook \u2063post that falsely suggested Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were involved in eating pets, \u2064has since\u2064 retracted her statements. Originating from a rumor about\u200c a\u2063 missing cat, Lee admits\u200c her\u2064 misinterpretation \u2063of \u2063the \u2062story, leading her to remove the\u2063 post\u2062 and express regret for inciting hatred\u200c against the Haitian community.\u2064 Her statements \u200dgained traction, especially after former President \u200dDonald Trump&#8217;s related comments \u2063during a debate, resulting in threats against\u200b local \u2063institutions. Springfield&#8217;s Mayor Rob Rue \u200ccriticized politicians for\u2062 their role in exacerbating the situation and highlighted the detrimental impact of their\u200b words on the city. Local police emphasized there\u2064 are no credible \u200breports supporting Lee&#8217;s \u200cclaims. Lee acknowledged\u200c her mistake, stating she never\u200c intended to create such a hostile environment for the Haitian \u2062community.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Vance pushing rumors about Springfield after first poster walked back comments<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1758601\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Erika Lee, the woman behind the viral Facebook post that stoked rumors about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/haiti\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Haitian\">Haitian<\/a> immigrants <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3148372\/trump-allies-unverified-rumors-immigrants-abusing-animals-attack-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>eating cats and dogs<\/a> in Springfield, <a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ohio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Ohio\">Ohio<\/a>, tried to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-only-commits-to-1-4k-stimulus-checks-in-private-call-with-democrats\/\" title=\"Biden only commits to .4K stimulus checks in private call with Democrats\">walk back<\/a> her comments.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The original post went live as a result of a twisted game of telephone. Lee&rsquo;s post included a claim about a missing cat that she said she heard about from a friend, who heard about the missing pet from someone else.<\/p>\n<p>Lee has now deleted the Facebook post, saying it was wrong and that she misinterpreted a neighbor&rsquo;s story, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HeathMayo\/status\/1835049490145067336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1835049490145067336%7Ctwgr%5E71b715ff0ccbea454cbdf8202a9117412b4c7166%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.democraticunderground.com%2F100219463854\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according<\/a> to text messages she sent to MSNBC reporters.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mia Perez, left, an immigration lawyer, and Bernardette Dor, a pastor at the First Haitian Church, pose for a photo together after joining a prayer walk in support of their Haitian immigrant community in Springfield, Ohio, on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo\/Luis Andres Henao)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;I messed up royally,&rdquo; Lee wrote. &ldquo;[I] never meant to cause so much hate against a group of people.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Lee told NBC News she regretted spreading the misinformation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It just exploded into something I didn&rsquo;t mean to happen,&rdquo; Lee <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/-just-exploded-springfield-woman-says-never-meant-spark-rumors-haitian-rcna171099\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I feel for the Haitian community. If I was in the Haitians&rsquo; position, I&rsquo;d be terrified, too, worried that somebody&rsquo;s going to come after me because they think I&rsquo;m hurting something that they love and that, again, that&rsquo;s not what I was trying to do.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Since former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> said during the presidential debate last week that Haitian immigrants were &ldquo;eating the pets of the people that live there,&rdquo; Springfield has received multiple threats against hospitals, schools, and the Springfield City Hall, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2024\/sep\/14\/more-bomb-threats-hit-springfield-ohio-after-trump-elevates-false-claims-about-haitians\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according<\/a> to the <em>Guardian<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The violence prompted Springfield Mayor Rob Rue to respond to the politicians who have elevated the rumors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;All these federal politicians that have negatively spun our city, they need to know they&rsquo;re hurting our city, and it was their words that did it,&rdquo; Rue <a href=\"https:\/\/abc6onyourside.com\/news\/local\/springfield-mayor-on-politicians-after-bomb-threat-it-was-their-words-that-did-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>told<\/a> Springfield&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/north-carolinas-first-black-lt-gov-leads-fight-against-radical-curriculum\/\" title=\"North Carolina\u2019s First Black Lt. Gov. Leads Fight Against Radical Curriculum\">local news station<\/a>, ABC6.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Springfield police have also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wdtn.com\/as-seen-on-2-news\/springfield-police-on-claims-of-haitian-crimes-no-credible-reports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> there is no evidence to support the claims, stating, &ldquo;We wish to clarify that there have been no <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/longtime-ethiopian-diplomat-resigns-in-protest-of-countrys-genocide\/\" title=\"Longtime Ethiopian Diplomat Resigns in Protest of Country\u2019s Genocide\">credible reports<\/a> or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wdtn.com\/as-seen-on-2-news\/springfield-police-on-claims-of-haitian-crimes-no-credible-reports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according<\/a> to WDTN.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Days after Lee apologized and Rue denounced politicians&rsquo; rhetoric, Trump&rsquo;s running mate, Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>J.D. Vance<\/a> (R-OH), refused to budge on the matter during an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/09\/15\/politics\/video\/sotu-bash-vance-haitian-immigrants-full-interview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>interview<\/a> on CNN&rsquo;s <em>State of the Union<\/em>, saying he has received firsthand reports from constituents supporting the rumors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Ten of them [reports] are verifiable and confirmable, and a couple of them I talk about because my constituents are telling me firsthand that they&rsquo;re seeing these things,&rdquo; Vance said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Despite numerous reports by city officials and police that no pets are being eaten, Vance pushed forward, saying it was necessary for him to create media attention about the disproven rumors.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If I have to create stories so the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m going to do.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1758601\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1758601\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vance continues to promote rumors about Springfield after the initial poster retracted her statements. Erika Lee, the individual responsible for a viral Facebook post that fueled speculation about Haitian immigrants consuming pets in Springfield, Ohio, has attempted to clarify her remarks. Her original post stemmed from a distorted relay of information; it included an assertion regarding a missing cat that she claimed to have heard from a friend who learned about it from someone else. Lee has since removed the Facebook post, admitting it was incorrect and that she misunderstood a neighbor&#8217;s account, as indicated in text messages she sent to MSNBC reporters.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I made a significant mistake,&#8221; Lee stated. &#8220;I never intended to incite such animosity against any group.&#8221; She expressed regret over disseminating false information during an interview with NBC News: &#8220;It escalated into something I never meant for it to become. I empathize with the Haitian community; if I were in their shoes, I&#8217;d be scared too\u2014worried that someone might target me because they believe I&#8217;m harming something dear to them, which was not my intention.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Following former President Donald Trump&#8217;s comments during last week&#8217;s presidential debate alleging that Haitian immigrants were &#8220;eating the pets of local residents,&#8221; Springfield has faced multiple threats directed at hospitals, schools, and City Hall according to reports by The Guardian. This violence prompted Mayor Rob Rue of Springfield to address politicians who have perpetuated these rumors: &#8220;All these federal politicians who have negatively portrayed our city need to understand they are damaging our community with their words,&#8221; Rue told ABC6.<\/p>\n<p>Springfield police also clarified there is no evidence supporting these claims: \u201cWe want to emphasize there have been no credible reports or specific allegations of pets being harmed or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,\u201d as reported by WDTN.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Lee&#8217;s apology and Rue&#8217;s condemnation of political rhetoric surrounding this issue, Trump\u2019s running mate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) remained steadfast during an interview on CNN\u2019s State of the Union. He asserted he had received firsthand accounts from constituents backing these rumors: \u201cTen of those reports are verifiable and confirmable; some I&#8217;ve discussed because my constituents are telling me directly what they&#8217;re witnessing,\u201d Vance stated.<\/p>\n<p>Even with numerous declarations from city officials and law enforcement denying any incidents involving pet consumption, Vance insisted on continuing his campaign around these unfounded claims: \u201cThe American media completely overlooked this until Donald Trump and I began discussing cat memes,\u201d he remarked. \u201cIf I need to fabricate stories for American media outlets to pay attention to the struggles faced by Americans, then that&#8217;s what I&#8217;ll do.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3427,"featured_media":2341872,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/springfield-bomb-threat.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5894,7350,18909,15469,32076],"class_list":["post-2341871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-politics","tag-rumors","tag-springfield","tag-vance","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/springfield-bomb-threat.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2341871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3427"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2341871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2341871\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2341872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2341871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2341871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2341871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}