'Smoking gun': Rage mounts after WSJ reports Vance knew Haitian pet story had no basis

Sen. J.D. Vance faced backlash Wednesday after a Wall Street Journal investigation revealed former President Donald Trump's running mate knew there was no reason to believe Haitian immigrants were eating pets in Springfield, Ohio — but shared the story anyway.

Springfield city manager Bryan Heck told the Journal that he told a Vance staffer "point blank" the claims were baseless on Sept. 9 — the same day the Ohio Republican posted the claim on X, where it remained as of Wednesday morning — and sparked a backlash from critics.

"A smoking gun," Ohio Capital Journal reporter Marty Schladen responded on X. "Despite at least 33 bomb threats, death threats against public officials, terror among Haitians — in a town in the state he represents — Vance kept saying it anyway."

The Wall Street Journal also reported that, on Tuesday, Vance's campaign gave them the name of a woman who claimed a Haitian had indeed taken her cat in August.

The Journal arrived Tuesday evening to find cat Miss Sassy had returned a few days later and her owner Anna Kilgore had apologized to her Haitian neighbors, the report showed.

Conservative commentator Pedro L. Gonzalez vented his frustration over what he described as a poorly mishandled narrative delivered by Vance.

"The Springfield lady who called the police when she suspected Haitians of eating her missing cat found the cat safe in her basement and then apologized to her Haitian neighbors for starting a rumor that became a GOP talking point," Gonzalez wrote.

"'At least we brought attention to what's happening in Springfield' the right says. You did, and you managed to even make people in Springfield who were or are frustrated by the immigration issue apologize or rethink their complaints because of how badly you handled it."

ALSO READ: 'I want Vance to apologize': We went to Springfield and found community hurt — and divided

Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell condemned Vance in more blunt terms.

"Vance’s team actually did look into the rumor, and was told unequivocally that it was BS," she summarized. "Vance amplified it anyway."

Democratic political strategist Simon Rosenberg raised concerns about what Vance's willingness to amplify untrue stories — sourced to far right activists and neo-Nazis — said about his fitness to lead from the White House.

"If Vance is willing to lie and unleash hell on his own constituents for what he believed was political gain," Rosenberg asked, "what does that say about he would be willing to do to the country?"

David Darmofal, a political scientist at the University of South Carolina, replied, "The Trump-Vance slogan should be Make America Springfield. Because they want to do to this country what they've done to Springfield."