Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg reported that he was briefly separated from his four-year-old twins following a false report made to Child Protective Services (CPS). In a Substack post, Buttigieg detailed the incident, which occurred when Michigan State Police and a CPS worker responded to an anonymous claim that he posed a danger to his children.
The police and CPS could not provide clarity on the situation until a forensic interview with the children was conducted the following day, resulting in Buttigieg not having access to his children during that time. He described the 24 hours without them as extremely distressing, expressing his confusion and concern over the serious nature of the accusations.
The report stemmed from a caller who alleged that Buttigieg had spoken to a woman who claimed he confessed to committing violent crimes in Alabama, a location Buttigieg stated he had never visited. After the forensic interview, the officer concluded that the report was politically motivated and assured Buttigieg that the case would not be referred to a prosecutor, as the CPS worker found no evidence to support the allegations.
During the investigation, the children stayed with their grandparents. Buttigieg, who lives with his husband Chasten, noted that the false report was made shortly after he shared family photos on social media around Father's Day and near the end of Pride Month. He condemned the incident as a politically motivated attack and expressed his emotional response to the situation, emphasizing the impact on his young children.
Buttigieg indicated that he may pursue civil or criminal charges against the individual responsible for the false report and concluded his post with a warning against targeting children in political disputes.