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Former presidential candidate and Biden-era Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Friday his family was targeted by a false report to Child Protective Services that led to 24 hours of confusion and separation from his 4-year-old twins overnight.
Michigan State Police said in a statement that the police and Child Protective Services “determined the report was false,” and condemned false reports to law enforcement. Buttigieg lamented the psychological stress to him, his husband, Chasten, and their twins. Swatting attempts — false calls intended to sic law enforcement on a target’s home — have become increasingly common for political and public figures.
Several days ago, Buttigieg said Friday in a post on Substack, a team from Child Protective Services showed up to his house and said an allegation had been leveled against him concerning the twins, whom the couple adopted in 2021.
“I was bewildered and troubled, but tried to stay calm,” Buttigieg wrote. “I’m used to any number of falsehoods, attacks, and serious problems being thrown my way. What I didn’t understand was what could have led to this kind of visit. Then, the CPS worker told me something that made my stomach turn: I was not to be alone around the children, at least until the interview took place the next day. They asked if I had relatives nearby or could perhaps stay at a hotel for the night.”
Buttigieg said he and his husband, Chasten, were left in the dark about the allegations as they agreed to send the children to their grandparents’ home overnight.
“The 24 hours until they returned are among the darkest hours of my life. I tried to get my head around the idea that I had been accused of something so serious that I couldn’t be alone around my own children, and had consented to have them interviewed by strangers, without my knowing where the accusation had come from or even what it contained,” he wrote.
After local authorities probed the situation and spoke to the twins, an officer explained what the allegation was during Buttigieg’s formal interview.
“An anonymous caller had contacted CPS,” Buttigieg said. “The caller said that he had spoken to a woman who claimed to have met me at a conference several years ago in Alabama, where she said I told her that I had committed unspeakable violent crimes, and the caller believed my children were still at risk. That was all.”
Buttigieg — who called the authorities who visited his home “courteous and professional” — said he told the police officer he had never been to the town where the accuser claimed to have met him.
“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,” the former presidential candidate continued. “After the officer spoke, the CPS worker likewise indicated she had not found anything to substantiate the allegation, though her process would take a bit longer to be formally completed.”
In a statement to CBS News, the Michigan State Police said it received an “anonymous report” this week, and the law enforcement agency and Child Protective Services “responded and determined the report was false.”
“False reports are dangerous and divert law enforcement officers and Child Protective Services workers from responding to legitimate emergencies and protecting vulnerable children and families,” the Michigan State Police added.
Buttigieg lamented the motivation behind the false report, adding it’s “not lost on me that this happened soon after we shared photos of our family on social media for Father’s Day,” and during pride month.
“I am a reasonable man,” Buttigieg wrote. “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. They do not know or care what a Democrat or a Republican is. They don’t know how politics works. They don’t know about hate.”
