In an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, Vance entered a lengthy back-and-forth with host Dana Bash over his repeating of viral claims that Haitian migrants had eaten pets in Springfield and the media’s framing of the matter.

Former President Donald Trump mentioned these rumors on the debate stage last week, saying those who moved to the city under Temporary Protected Status were “eating the dogs” and “eating the cats.”

Vance defended his previous statements peddling the same rumors, saying he was just repeating the concerns of his constituents that had gone to him.

“Now you ask, Why have I talked about some of the things that I’ve been talking about? Let me just say this, my constituents have brought approximately a dozen separate concerns to me,” he said. “Ten of them are verifiable and confirmable, and a couple of them I talk about because my constituents are telling me firsthand that they’re seeing these things. So I have two options, Dana, I can ignore them, which is what the American media has done for years to this community, or I can actually talk about what people are telling me. And, of course, many of the things that the media says are completely baseless have since been confirmed.”

Bash noted that the mayor and the police department in Springfield have both said there is no evidence to back up these claims, a similar line to moderator David Muir’s live — and at points biased — fact-check on the debate stage.

Vance also criticized Bash for saying the immigrants in the Springfield community were there legally. However, in a separate media appearance Sunday morning, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said not only has he seen no evidence that the claims about Haitians eating neighbors’s pets, but also the immigrants are there legally on work visas.

“Let me tell you what we do know, though. What we know is that the Haitians who are in Springfield are legal. They came to Springfield to work,” DeWine said on ABC’s This Week.

“What the companies tell us is that they are very good workers. They’re very happy to have them there, and frankly, that’s helped the economy. Now, are there problems connected? Well, sure. When you go from a population of 58,000 and add 15,000 people onto that, you’re going to have some challenges and some problems,” he added.

In the last week, there have been bomb threats called into the town’s schools and city call. Vance pushed back on Bash’s connection of those threats to the vice presidential candidate’s rhetoric.

“Well, what is the implication, Dana? I’d actually love to have this conversation right now live on air, what is the implication when you say, ‘you calling out these problems has caused a bomb threat.’ You accused me of causing a bomb threat,” he said. “Doesn’t that mean you should shut up about the residents of Springfield? Don’t you realize you’re engaged in basic propaganda to silence the concerns of American citizens?”

“I was quoting, I was quoting the actual mayor of Springfield, Ohio, begging after, he said, after the bomb threats, begging federal officials, you, to please stop putting negative attention on his city,” Bash responded.

“And I just want to say I have not accused you of anything,” she added later. “I am quoting the mayor who said, after these bomb threats, ‘federal politicians are negatively spinning our city. They need to know they are hurting our city. It was their words that did it…’ I’m quoting him, and it seems to be a cause and effect.”

“Roll the tape,” Vance responded. “You just accused me of inciting a bomb threat. There’s no evidence of this. I condemn violence and threats of violence. We should be able to do that and also still talk about what’s going on in Springfield.”