Haitian Group Files Criminal Charges Against Trump, Vance Over Springfield Lies

Accusing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, of wreaking "havoc" on Springfield, Ohio by spreading lies about the Haitian community there, a national immigrant rights group on Tuesday filed criminal charges against the right-wing politicians.

Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, sought Trump and Vance's arrest under Ohio Revised Code Sections 2935.09 and 2935.10(A), which allow private citizens to "file an affidavit charging the offense committed" and direct a court to issue arrest warrants or refer the matter for investigation.

In recent weeks, buildings in Springfield, including schools, have been the targets of at least 33 bomb threats, which authorities said stemmed from derogatory remarks made by Trump, Vance, and other Republican lawmakers about Haitians there.

Vance and Trump amplified a conspiracy theory—since disavowed by one of the earliest people to spread the story online—that Haitian immigrants in Springfield have been stealing and eating neighbors' pets. Their repeated references to the false stories have been denounced as "blood libel" by critics, and Vance has said more than once in recent days that he's fully aware the rumors are untrue, but has no regrets about spreading them.

"Trump and Vance must be held accountable to the rule of law. Anyone else who wreaked havoc the way they did would have been arrested by now."

"The Haitian community is suffering in fear because of Trump and Vance's relentless, irresponsible, false alarms, and public services have been disrupted," said Subodh Chandra, the lead counsel representing Jozef. "Trump and Vance must be held accountable to the rule of law. Anyone else who wreaked havoc the way they did would have been arrested by now."

The criminal charges in the affidavit include disrupting public services "by causing widespread bomb and other threats," making false alarms "by continuing to repeat lies that state and local officials have said were false," and committing telecommunications harassment "by spreading claims they know to be false during the presidential debate, campaign rallies, nationally televised interviews, and social media."

Continuing a trend of previous Trump campaigns, he and Vance have made fear-mongering about immigration a top priority. Chandra, an experienced First Amendment litigator, compared Trump and Vance's actions to "those who shout 'fire!' in a crowded theater."

"There's nothing special about Trump and Vance that entitles them to get away with what they've done and are doing," Chandra said. "They think they're above the law. They're not."