CBS News cut the microphones of Republican nominee JD Vance and his Democratic counterpart Tim Walz following a contentious exchange over claims regarding Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio.
The incident occurred when Vance attempted to expand on his claims regarding Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, prompting moderator Margaret Brennan to provide a factual clarification for the audience: “Just to clarify for our viewers, Springfield, Ohio does have a large number of Haitian migrants who have legal status.”
Vance, visibly frustrated by the correction, continued to speak despite being silenced, questioning the predetermined debate “rules.”
The debate had already been marked by intense scrutiny of stances of both candidates on immigration policy.Vance, a sitting senator from Ohio, had previously faced criticism for repeating baseless claims originally made by former President Donald Trump, suggesting that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were “eating the pets of the people that lived there.”
When Vance tried to clarify the asylum application process for illegal migrants following the moderator’s fact-check, Walz pointed out, “Those laws have been on the books since 1990.”
Vance persisted in defending his assertions, Brennan remarked, “Gentlemen, the audience can’t hear you because your mics are cut. We have so much we want to get to, thank you for explaining the legal process.”