It’s beyond despicable that presidential candidate Donald Trump would deliberately endanger a community but it’s even worse that running mate J.D. Vance is the Ohio senator supposedly representing that community. Even worse than that, Sen. Vance has acknowledged he is spreading harmful lies and has insisted he is entitled to do so.

The Trump/Vance lies that Haitian immigrants have been eating pets in Springfield, Ohio have spurred bomb threats against schools, government buildings and officials’ homes. In turn there have been evacuations, closures and cancellations.

In the wake of the terror, the felonious fraudster and sexual predator who is also the 2024 Republican nominee for president has announced he plans to visit Springfield “soon.”

Springfield Mayor Rob Rue responded with a mild-mannered version of “Thanks, but no thanks.” NBC News reported Tuesday that Rue said during a news conference, “It would be an extreme strain on our resources. So, it’d be fine with me if they decided not to make that visit.” The night before, Rue said on CNN “It would be extremely difficult if either one of the candidates came to our community right now and I would discourage it if I had the opportunity, just because this is not a time to campaign in our community at the national level.”

That’s better than saying nothing, I guess. Color me crazy but when your own senator is deliberately harming a city of his own constituents with racist lies, amplified by a former president and current presidential candidate, I would hope even a Republican mayor could find some stronger language than that.