J.D. Vance ducks reporter when asked if he ought to have fact-checked pet-eating rumors

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) has repeatedly defended his promotion of a viral internet hoax that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, are kidnapping and eating their neighbors' dogs and cats, by saying that he's just passing along what constituents have said.

But Vance swatted away a question from a CBS News reporter, who pointedly asked whether he should have done more due diligence about the veracity of constituent claims.

"A woman who was behind an early Facebook post about the Haitian migrants in Springfield has now apologized for spreading false rumors," said reporter Katrina Kaufman at a Wisconsin Trump rally. "You say you have a responsibility to share what your constituents tell you, but don't you also have a responsibility to fact-check them first?"

ALSO READ: Trump turned politics into a joke — and now he’s the punchline

"Well, I think the media has a responsibility to fact-check the residents of Springfield, not lie about it," said Vance.

The rumors about Haitian migrants eating people's pets have also been promoted by former President Donald Trump. In the days since the conspiracy theory surfaced, schools and other community gathering places have been evacuated due to a series of bomb threats, some of which Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has said came from a single unspecified country.

All of this comes as Trump and his allies accuse Vice President Kamala Harris and her supporters of inciting recent assassination attempts against him.

Watch the video below or at the link here.