Ohio GOP Governor: 'Mess' Over Pet Food in Springfield Must Stop

“This debate just has to stop,” he said during his appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”

While DeWine called for an end to the spread of the false claims, he repeatedly avoided directly criticizing former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio for their roles.

Trump first amplified the false accusation during last week’s presidential debate and has since repeated it, even calling for mass deportations from Springfield.

In a debate moment that has now gone viral, Trump said, “In Springfield, they eat the dogs. The people that came here, they eat the cats. They eat — they eat the pets of the people that live there.”

Vance, Trump’s running mate, defended the unsubstantiated claims, noting that he was willing to “create stories” to get media attention.

However, DeWine appears unwilling to spread the lies.

When ABC News’ Martha Raddatz asked DeWine if, as governor, he sees evidence of Haitian immigrants eating pets, he replied, “No. Absolutely not. That’s what the mayor said, that’s what the police chief said, and I think it’s unfortunate that this is even being brought up.”

DeWine said the Haitian immigrants in Springfield are in the U.S. legally under Temporary Protected Status, or TPS.

“They came to Springfield to work,” he said, adding that local businesses praised them as “very good workers.”

When asked specifically about Trump’s role in spreading the stories, DeWine responded indirectly: “Look, there’s a lot of garbage on the Internet.”

“This is nonsense that is simply not true. There is absolutely no evidence for it,” he added.

When DeWine was asked again what he would say to Trump, he dodged the conversation and instead spoke about hate groups coming to Springfield.

He said Haitian immigrants have a “positive impact” on Springfield, adding, “Any comment about that, I think, is hurtful and not helpful to the city of Springfield and the people of Springfield.”

Business Insider previously spoke to Springfield residents who said the comments have created a tense and, some say, dangerous atmosphere in the Ohio city.

On Thursday, Springfield City Hall was temporarily closed due to a bomb threat involving “hate speech” directed at Haitian immigrants in the community. the city’s mayor told The Washington Post.

DeWine said, without naming Trump or Vance: “This discussion just has to stop. We need to focus on progress, not on eating dogs and cats; it’s just ridiculous.”

DeWine’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.