During the Presidential debate on Tuesday, Trump, who has a penchant for spreading conspiracy theories, referred to rumors that stemmed from a Facebook post claiming that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are abducting and eating pets. “They’re eating the dogs!” the felon yelled out as Vice President Kamala Harris seemed to be enjoying the meltdown.
Of course, there is no proof of this claim, but Trump and his enablers want it to be true. The Clark County dog warden in Springfield called bullshit on the claims to The Daily Beast.
“Nobody has any proof of anything,” Sandi Click told the Daily Beast. “It’s all just a bunch of hearsay.”
Click, who is responsible for animal welfare investigations, rescues, and enforcement in Springfield, said that although she has received calls about alleged animal cruelty, these tips are all “third or fourth-hand information without any pictures.”
“We spend the time trying to debunk these rumors, and it takes away from the time we need to spend caring for the animals and investigating legitimate complaints,” the warden added, chalking up some of the buzz to people “needing something to talk about.”
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“People should listen more carefully when they hear something and not jump to conclusions because not everything on social media is true,” Click said, expressing disappointment that the online frenzy has taken over the Ohio city.It’s not just Click. The Springfield Police Department has also fielded similar complaints, and, according to Officer Matthew Hogan “there has been no found evidence of the claims being true.”
Prior to the Sep. 10 presidential debate, city officials dismissed theories about immigrants brutalizing animals, saying there are “no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused.” Despite Springfield’s statement, Trump still claimed, “They’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” proof of which he said came from “the people on television.”
The individual they’re referring to is a U.S. citizen, not a Haitian migrant:
The Canton woman charged with killing and eating a cat has no known connection to Haiti or any other foreign country.
Allexis T. Ferrell was charged with cruelty to companion animals, a fifth-degree felony, and Stark County court records show she has faced other charges since 2017, including theft and misuse of credit cards and endangering children.
“Ferrell was first arrested in Canton in 2011,” Canton police spokesman Lt. Dennis Garren wrote in an email on Tuesday. “We have no reason to believe that she is not a U.S. citizen.”
Facts be damned, people like Don Jr., a trophy hunter, circulated memes as if it was true, even though we all know that if any cats or dogs went missing, RFK Jr. would be a prime suspect.
Are we supposed to believe that the stone-cold-hearted, trophy-hunting Trump son cares about animals now? Gimme a break.
