Ahead of a House Judiciary Committee hearing last week on the dangers of crime from illegal immigration, the panel’s social media account posted a computer-generated photo of former President Donald Trump, in a lake, with a duck and kitten in his arms.
“Protect our ducks and kittens in Ohio!” the post said, among the first references in Congress to rumors circulating online about Haitian migrants in Ohio capturing and consuming the pet animals of residents there.
It was one of several times last week when some House Republicans, who have spent months focusing on the dangers of crime from illegal immigration, ended up embracing the sensational claim that local officials and some news outlets have since dubbed as unsubstantiated.
