The leader of the nonprofit Haitian Bridge Alliance filed charges against former president Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, for the chaos that ensued from their uncorroborated statements about immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating pets, according to the Cleveland law firm representing the agency.
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The Chandra Law Firm says the nonprofit used a state statute allowing private citizens to "file an affidavit charging the offense committed."
The following charges were filed:
- Disrupting public service — by causing widespread bomb and other threats that resulted in massive disruptions to the public services in Springfield, Ohio;
- Making false alarms — by knowingly causing alarm in the Springfield community by continuing to repeat lies that state and local officials have said were false;
- Committing telecommunications harassment — by spreading claims they know to be false during the presidential debate, campaign rallies, nationally televised interviews, and social media;
- Committing aggravated menacing in violation — by knowingly making intimidating statements with the intent to abuse, threaten, or harass the recipients, including Trump’s threat to deport immigrants who are here legally to Venezuela, a land they have never known;
- Committing aggravated menacing — by knowingly causing others to falsely believe that members of Springfield's Haitian community would cause serious physical harm to the person or property of others in Springfield; and
- Violating the prohibition against complicity — by conspiring with one another and spreading vicious lies that caused innocent parties to be parties to their various crimes.
The charges were filed in Clark County Municipal Court.
Through the filing, the nonprofit asks the court to affirm probable cause and to issue arrest warrants.
The court must have a hearing before rejecting the affidavit as part of the legal process.
The law firm said the charges "stem from the impact of Trump’s and Vance’s baseless fearmongering that that legal Haitian immigrants to the Ohio town are eating their neighbor’s pets."
“The Haitian community is suffering in fear because of Trump and Vance’s relentless, irresponsible, false alarms, and public services have been disrupted. 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," lead counsel Subodh Chandra said. "There’s nothing special about Trump and Vance that entitles them to get away with what they’ve done and are doing. They think they're above the law. They're not."
Springfield has been inundated with hoax bomb threats since the presidential debate when Trump baselessly accused members of Springfield's Haitian community of abducting and eating cats and dogs.
RELATED: What to know about the threats in Springfield, Ohio, after false claims about Haitian immigrants
JD Vance amplified debunked internet rumors about Haitian migrants as the Republican ticket criticized the immigration policies of President Joe Biden's administration that are supported by Trump's Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
City officials acknowledge growing pains from the influx of some 15,000 Haitian immigrants but say there's no evidence to support the claim they are consuming anyone's pets.
JD Vance later went on CNN and said, "If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
The Trump campaign issued this statement:
President Trump is rightfully highlighting the failed immigration system that Kamala Harris has overseen, bringing thousands of illegal immigrants pouring into communities like Springfield and many others across the country. President Trump will secure our border and put an end to the chaos that illegal immigration brings to our communities.
A day after our story was published, the City of Springfield issued this statement.
The Haitian Bridge Alliance has filed criminal charges in the Clark County Municipal Court against former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance, alleging disruptions to public services and the propagation of false alarms, among other offenses.
While the City of Springfield acknowledges the serious nature of these allegations, it is essential to allow the legal process to unfold without interference. We refrain from commenting on ongoing legal matters at this time.
It is vital that discussions on sensitive issues, particularly those surrounding immigration, are grounded in facts rather than falsehoods. Springfield is committed to promoting constructive dialogue and addressing concerns with integrity and transparency.
The safety and well-being of all our residents, including the Haitian immigrant community, remains our top priority. We take any actions that disrupt public services or spread misinformation very seriously, and we will continue to uphold our commitment to maintaining public order.
We will keep the community informed as this situation develops.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
