Calling out the layers of cynicism in JD Vance’s reprehensible statements about the people of Springfield, Ohio, is like peeling back the layers of a putrid onion. First, he lies about the activities of legal Haitian immigrants to that city in a way that is historically racist. Then, he admits that he is lying in order to somehow draw attention to a problem that, according to the residents of Springfield, does not exist. Then he willingly repeats these lies, even when he is asked by the people of Springfield — people he represents as their U.S. senator! — to stop. These statements have been followed by death threats directed at Springfield residents, bomb threats leading to closures of schools, businesses and public buildings, and widespread fear among the Springfield Haitian community.