Former US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg revealed on Friday that an anonymous and unfounded accusation prompted Child Protective Services (CPS) to investigate his family, resulting in a harrowing 24-hour separation from his four-year-old twins. In a Substack post, Buttigieg described the incident as 'among the darkest hours of my life' and compared it to 'swatting,' where false emergency reports trigger law enforcement responses.
Buttigieg Details the Ordeal
Buttigieg wrote that a police officer and a CPS worker arrived at his family's home in Michigan, requesting to speak with him. 'For twenty-four deeply distressing hours, we had no idea what I was accused of or what was about to happen,' he stated. 'We could not understand someone abusing the system like this in order to hurt me and my family with an absurd and easily refuted allegation of a horrific crime.' The social worker and officer required Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, to send their children to their grandparents' house during the investigation.
False Report Details
According to Buttigieg, the anonymous caller claimed to have spoken with a woman who alleged that Buttigieg told her at a conference in Alabama years ago that he had committed 'unspeakable violent crimes.' The caller asserted that Buttigieg's children remained at risk. Buttigieg noted he had never been to the location mentioned and labeled the accusation a 'cruel, politically motivated hoax.' Michigan State Police spokesperson Shanon Banner confirmed the department received an anonymous report and, after investigation, 'determined the report was false.' Banner warned that false reports 'are dangerous and divert law enforcement officers and CPS workers from responding to legitimate emergencies.'
Impact and Next Steps
Buttigieg, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, expressed concern that the hoax occurred shortly after his family shared Father's Day photos on social media and during Pride Month. He vowed to pursue civil or criminal charges, stating, 'do not mess with someone’s kids.' The incident highlights a rise in 'swatting' targeting public figures, but Buttigieg argued this case represents a 'different' level of harassment by weaponizing child protective services.
