MSNBC Host Predicts ‘People Could Die!’ From Trump and Others ‘Perpetrating’ Ohio Pet-Eating Conspiracy Theory

MSNBC’s Symone Sanders-Townsend predicted “people could die” if a conspiracy theory about immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio continues to be pushed by former President Donald Trump and others.

On The Weekend on Saturday, Sanders-Townsend accused Trump. Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance , and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) of “perpetrating” the false claim that Haitian immigrants are kidnapping and eating pets in Ohio. The conspiracy theory has been shot down by town officials repeatedly, saying there is no proof of the claim, which has mostly been based on social media posts.

Some of the social media posts have been debunked. Media watchdog NewsGuard identified one Facebook post mentioning a supposed story about a missing cat ending up strung up in a Haitian neighbor’s yard, but the woman the post was actually about has since said the story was misstated and only a rumor she heard as the cat belonged to an acquaintance of a friend. The Springfield resident who made the Facebook post has since deleted it and said she did not intend for it to start a national news story.

Sanders-Townsend accused Trump of amplifying the story by mentioning at this week’s ABC News debate where he claimed immigrants were eating cats in Springfield, a claim that earned an immediate fact check.

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison agreed with Sanders-Townsend that people could die or be “hurt” as a result of these conspiracy theories and suggested there should be monetary consequences.

“I really wish the laws were such that you hit these people in their damn pocketbooks. If you are going to do stuff and somebody gets hurt as a result of it, somebody should have recourse and then say, okay, it was you who caused this and therefore you’re directly responsible for it, and so you should pay for it,” he said.

Multiple schools in Springfield were shut down this week due to threats that made hateful references to the Haitian community. On Friday, a hospital also briefly shut down after receiving bomb threats .

Read the Sanders-Townsend and Harrison exchange below:

SANDERS-TOWNSEND: The county commissioner said this hours, hours before Donald Trump would make this claim on the debate stage. It was amplified to 67 million people. Mr. Chairman, I just wonder, the DNC has put out statements. Democrats have been forcefully, you know, beating back this conspiracy theory, this racist lie, the rhetoric. But what else can can they can anyone do? Because the attorney general of Ohio is perpetrating this lie. The former president of United States of America who could be elected again is perpetrating this lie.

HARRISON: A U.S. senator.

SANDERS-TOWNSEND: Is perpetrating this lie. And not just JD Vance, Ted Cruz — what? People could die!

HARRISON: People could die and will probably get hurt as a result of it, and you just think about it. If these people get back into the White House, now they have the most powerful microphone on the face of the planet to continue to perpetuate these type of lies, and they will do it, and that’s why this election is so important. This is why we have to keep these folks, Donald Trump and JD Vance, as far away from the White House as possible, because they’re going to bring the Laura Loomers and other folks right into the White House to continue to perpetuate these type of lies that hurt the American people. And, you know, I really wish the laws were such that you hit these people in their damn pocketbooks. If you are going to do stuff and somebody gets hurt as a result of it, somebody should have recourse and then say, okay, it was you who caused this and therefore you’re directly responsible for it, and so you should pay for it. And so because sometimes that’s the only thing that some of these people understand is a little of that. And so it’s just sad to see this in American politics. Our vice president, our madam vice president, the president of the United States addressed it at the event at the White House just yesterday. We have to all people of goodwill, have to stand up and condemn it and condemn the people who are actually doing this on a day to day basis.

Watch above via MSNBC .