To justify his misinformation, the Republican vice presidential candidate cited a report from a woman whose lost cat turned up, very much alive, in her own basement.

Donald Trump ’s running mate JD Vance has dug in on his claim Haitians in an Ohio community are abducting and eating pets, even as the state’s GOP governor and other officials insist there is no evidence of such behavior. But the salacious claim was easily debunked.

The Republican has said his constituents are eating cats and dogs, but the sources of the complaints have backtracked.

A Vance aide was informed by a top Springfield official claims Haitian migrants were eating pets were false, but the VP nominee went ahead with spreading the rumor.