Ohio's Republican governor said Monday that reported bomb threats against various locations in the Ohio city of Springfield, which had been blamed on Republican rhetoric about the city's Haitian migrant crisis, were all “hoaxes.”
“33 counts of intimidation, 33 counts of mischief,” Mike said. DeWine announced. “Let me be very clear: none of this was substantiated at all,” he said at a news conference.
Governor DeWine said at a press conference that many of the threats were coming from “overseas.”
“Unfortunately, we also have people overseas engaging in this behavior,” DeWine added, “and some of them are coming from certain countries.”
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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said the bomb threats in Springfield, Ohio, were all “hoaxes.” (Getty Images)
The governor's office said it would not release the names of the countries to deter threats to schools and other buildings.
Governor DeWine also said dozens of Ohio Highway Patrol troopers would be deployed to schools across the city in response to the threats, and that officers would search school buildings before staff and students arrived.
“I know people are very concerned,” said Gov. DeWine, “but we have shifted resources to Springfield. Not only are people safe, they have a right to feel safe.”
The governor's statements contradict the threat, which media members and leading Democrats have repeatedly cited as evidence that comments by former President Donald Trump, Sen. J.D. Vance and other prominent Republicans have put Springfield residents at risk.
Tom Elliott, founder of multimedia marketplace Grabien, said: Post to X Media outlets spent at least 350 hours talking about the bomb threat and linking it to Trump.
“Last night, Ohio Governor DeWine announced that the bomb threats were all hoaxes, but as of this morning it took only three hours to announce the hoax last night (it took 35 hours yesterday to discuss the original 'bomb threat' story), and so far today it has taken only one hour to announce the hoax, and another 11 hours to spread the original fake news story,” Elliott wrote.
“Ohio Democrats were quick to condemn Bernie, J.D. Vance and President Trump for the bomb threat in Springfield, and their allies in the mainstream media went along with it without evidence,” Reagan McCarthy, communications director for Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, told Fox News Digital.
“In the end, this was a false slander that has since been denied. We look forward to their apology.”
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A view of the Clark County Heritage Center on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Springfield, Ohio. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
X's Trump Strategy Office account also vocally questioned the possibility of an apology.
“Where can President Trump and J.D. Vance go to get an apology from the media they claim incited them?” Trump-related accounts Post to X Regarding the bomb threat.
William Martin, a campaign spokesman for vice presidential candidate Senator J.D. Vance, said: Criticizing MSNBC's Willie Geist On Tuesday morning, he blamed Vance's comments for the bomb threats, calling them “disgraceful fake news.”
Senator J.D. Vance attends Charity Day 2024 hosted by the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund at the BGC Group on September 11, 2024 in New York City. (Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images, courtesy of Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund)
The alleged threats directly led the city of Springfield to cancel its annual CultureFest celebrations scheduled for this weekend.
“In light of recent threats and safety concerns, the City of Springfield has made the difficult decision to cancel this year's Kulturfest,” the city said in a statement. “This decision was made with the safety and health of our community and event attendees in the forefront of mind.”
The two-day event had been planned for later this month, and officials said it would be a “celebration of diversity, arts and local culture,” but after consulting with law enforcement, they said they decided to cancel it to prevent “potential risk” to attendees and staff.
“Kulturfest is a beloved event for our community and we are extremely disappointed that we have to cancel it,” said Mayor Brian Heck, “but the safety of our residents and visitors remains our number one priority.”
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Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump arrives at Harry Reid International Airport to board a flight after a campaign rally in Las Vegas, Saturday, September 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The statement came a day after Wittenberg University suspended campus activities and increased the number of police officers on campus after authorities feared shootings targeting Haitians.
In a statement Friday, the Springfield City School District said, “All threats against the Springfield City School District are taken seriously and will be prosecuted at the highest level. The district continues to send a message to families that we appreciate their patience and understanding as Wildcat families navigate these events.”
The city has seen a large influx of Haitian immigrants in recent years, with locals complaining about the impact on social services and the community, but others saying the influx has revitalized a town that was in decline before the influx.
But some of those allegations, including widespread reports of migrants eating pets and other animals, have rapidly gained national attention in recent weeks.
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The city has denied any credible reports of pets being abused or harmed by migrants, but similar comments were made by Republicans during last week's presidential debate, including former President Donald Trump, who also said the impact of immigrants on the community was emblematic of a broader immigration problem affecting the US.
“In Springfield, they're eating dogs, they're eating people who come in there, they're eating cats,” Trump said. “They're eating the pets of the people who live there. This is what's going on in our country, and it's unfortunate.”
Many of the Haitian migrants come through the parole process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, which allows up to 30,000 nationals to be paroled per month, while an estimated 300,000 Haitians were recently protected from deportation by the redesignation of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals.
Fox News reporter Michael Lee and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
