Haitian nonprofit files criminal charges against Trump and Vance over Springfield
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (WCMH) -- An out-of-state Haitian nonprofit is bringing criminal charges against former president Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, stemming from comments about Springfield.
In Ohio, the public can file criminal charges on their own like a prosecutor would. Cleveland's Chandra Law Firm announced its client, the Haitian Bridge Alliance based in California, had brought seven offenses against the Republican nominees for president and vice president:
- Disrupting public services
- Making false alarms
- Two counts of complicity, with one referencing Ohio law and another violating a Springfield city ordinance, that court documents described as "conspiring with one another and spreading vicious lies that caused innocent parties to be parties to their various crimes"
- Two counts of telecommunications harassment, with one claiming violation of Ohio law and another against a Springfield city ordinance
- Aggravated menacing
Chandra Law Firm directly cited a quote from Vance he made during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” where he readdressed issues he took with around 12,000 to 15,000 Haitian immigrants who legally moved to Springfield under temporary protected status.
"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, Dana," Vance told host Dana Bash during the segment.
Disputed claims that the migrants were eating Springfield residents' pets and local wildlife took center stage during Trump's debate with current Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president.
"In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs," Trump said. "The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there."
The lead attorney representing the Haitian Bridge Alliance, Subopdh Chandra, explained to NBC4 the legal theory behind his client's wish for prosecution against Trump and Vance.
"Everyone knows that if anyone other than Trump and Vance had relentlessly disseminated false information, resulting in 33 bomb threats, school closures, city hall closures, college closures, and threats to the mayor and his family, they would have been arrested by now," Chandra said. "So the only question is whether Trump and Vance will be held accountable to the rule of the law like the rest of us."
An affidavit filed by Chandra Law Firm for the seven charges references the aftereffects of Vance and Trump's comments, directly blaming the pair for the incidents in Springfield. After a bomb threat was also called in Sept. 16 to the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Gov. Mike DeWine confirmed to reporters that all of the threats came from overseas, and all had references to Springfield.
In the group's announcement for the charges, they also noted that prosecutors in the region had not taken any action over the incidents against the former president and his running mate. Because the criminal charges were filed by citizens, Chandra said a prosecuting attorney will have to make a public decision about whether the counts hold weight.
"My clients are asking for arrest warrants to be issued," Chandra said. "And that's what would've happened to anyone of us that would have done this."
Read the bench memorandum -- including a readout of the charges -- and an affidavit, filed in Clark County Municipal Court, below: