(WWJ) Prominent Democrat Pete Buttigieg says his family was the victim of a politically motivated hoax after someone made a false Child Protective Services report.
In a blog post published Friday, Buttigieg says a police officer and a CPS worker showed up at his family home in Traverse City, Michigan — where he lives with his husband,, Chasten, and their 4-year-old twin daughters — and he was forced to avoid being alone with his children for 24 hours.
"For twenty-four deeply distressing hours, we had no idea what I was accused of or what was about to happen," Buttigieg said.
It wasn't until after the kids spent two days at their grandparents' house that an officer revealed to Buttigieg that an anonymous caller falsely claimed Buttigieg had spoken to her at an event years ago in Alabama, and confessed to violent crimes.
She said she believed the children were in danger.
After conducting forensic interviews with the kids, authorities determined the allegation was completely baseless and will not refer it to a prosecutor, according to Buttigieg.
He wrote in the blog, posted to his substack:
"That was all. The officer had a couple of obvious questions. He asked if I had been to the town where the woman claimed she had met me. I have not. Then the officer made clear that he believed this was politically motivated, and said it would not be referred to a prosecutor. Nothing in the forensic interview with the children, which was conducted by trained personnel, had led to concerns."
In a statement provided to The Associated Press, Michigan State Police said they received an “anonymous report” and that they and CPS “responded and determined the report was false.”
Buttigieg is calling the incident a "cruel abuse of the system" and vows to press civil or criminal charges against the caller if possible. He added:
"I am a reasonable man. I try to keep as calm and low-key as possible. But I cannot describe the mix of rage and sadness that I feel at the idea that someone brought our children into this. They are four years old. Four."
Read the full blog here: A Terrible Thing Happened to My Family
In Michigan, there's a law against swatting: making a malicious prank where someone makes a fake emergency call to law enforcement, with the aim to harass, intimidate, or create chaos for the target.
It's not yet clear if the authorities will be able to identify the caller.
Buttigieg is a politician who served as the U.S. Secretary of Transportation (2021–2025) and as the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana (2012–2020). He first became well-known nationally in 2020, when he launched high-profile campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, winning the Iowa caucuses before endorsing Joe Biden.
While it's not clear exactly why Buttigieg was targeted, the AP noted that Buttigieg is widely viewed as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, and has long been the target of anti-LGBTQ attacks.
