Former US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has alleged that he and his husband were separated from their four-year-old twins for 24 hours after an anonymous false report accused him of posing a threat to his children, The New York Times reported.
In a Substack post titled A Terrible Thing Happened to My Family, Buttigieg described the episode as the “ugliest thing” he has experienced since entering public service, despite previously facing political attacks, death threats and rocket attacks during his military service.
False complaint triggers child welfare probe
According to Buttigieg, a police officer and a Children’s Protective Services (CPS) worker arrived at the family’s Michigan home after authorities received an anonymous complaint.
The couple’s twins spent the night with their grandparents while officials carried out the investigation. As part of the inquiry, the children were interviewed separately by CPS workers.
The following day, Buttigieg said a police officer informed him that the anonymous caller claimed to have spoken with a woman who allegedly met him at a conference in Alabama several years ago. According to the complaint, Buttigieg had supposedly confessed to committing violent crimes, leading the caller to claim that his children were in danger.
Buttigieg said he told investigators he had never been to the town where the alleged meeting was said to have taken place. He added that the officer believed the complaint appeared politically motivated and would not be referred to prosecutors.
Authorities find allegations baseless
The Michigan State Police and Children’s Protective Services later concluded that the allegations were unfounded.
A Michigan State Police spokeswoman said investigators determined the report was false, adding that “false reports are dangerous.”
According to The New York Times, the state police did not release further details about the anonymous caller or say whether any investigation into the complaint remains ongoing.
Complaint came after Father’s Day family posts
Buttigieg said the complaint came shortly after he and his husband shared family photographs to mark Father’s Day, during Pride Month.
A Democrat who ran for president in 2020, Buttigieg became the first openly gay US cabinet secretary and is widely viewed as a possible contender in the 2028 presidential election. He has frequently been the target of attacks over his sexual orientation.
The former transportation secretary argued that the false child abuse allegation marked a new form of politically motivated harassment beyond traditional “swatting” incidents, which typically involve false emergency calls intended to prompt an armed police response.
Buttigieg vows legal action
Buttigieg said he would pursue civil or criminal action if the person behind the anonymous complaint is identified.
“I don’t know how much we can do about it, but so help me God, if there is any way to press civil or criminal charges over this, we will,” he wrote, adding that any action would be intended not only to protect his own family but also to send a clear message: “Do not mess with someone’s kids.”
Incident draws bipartisan support
The incident prompted messages of support from both Democrats and Republicans, including Republican Representative Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin.
Responding to Buttigieg’s post on X, Van Orden said his own family had experienced a similar ordeal.
“This has happened to our family and I agree, this is horrible,” he wrote.
“I hope they find the folks that did this and send them to prison,” he added.
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