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Hoax CPS report
Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said an anonymous child protective services allegation brought police and a Child Protective Services worker to his family’s home in Traverse City, Michigan, and forced his four-year-old twins into forensic interviews.
“Pete Buttigieg said Friday that an anonymous child protective services allegation brought police and a Child Protective Services worker to his family’s home this week, forced his 4-year-old twins into forensic interviews, and left him briefly separated from them before authorities concluded the report was false”
Buttigieg wrote that the separation lasted “for twenty-four deeply distressing hours,” during which he said he and his husband were required to avoid being alone with their children.
Michigan State Police said it received an “anonymous report” earlier this week and that “the report was false,” with the Michigan state police and Child Protective Services responding and determining the allegation was unsubstantiated.
Buttigieg said the anonymous caller claimed to have spoken to a woman who alleged she had met him at a conference years earlier in Alabama, where she said Buttigieg had confessed to “unspeakable violent crimes.”
Buttigieg and state police
In a Substack post, Buttigieg likened the accusation to “swatting,” writing that “Now imagine the same concept, but with Child Protective Services instead of a SWAT team.”
Buttigieg said the police officer and CPS worker arrived at his home and told him he could not be alone with his children until the interviews were completed, and he described the period as “among the darkest hours of my life.”
Michigan State Police spokesperson Shanon Banner said, “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.”
Buttigieg said the officer made clear he believed the accusation was politically motivated and that it would not be referred to a prosecutor, while the CPS worker also indicated she had found nothing to substantiate the allegation.
Political stakes and next steps
Buttigieg said the anonymous report was made after the family shared photos for Father’s Day and during a month meant to make families like his feel welcome and safe, and he described the incident as “a cruel, politically motivated hoax that harmed our family.”
Politico reported that even after the conclusion that the report was false, Buttigieg said he was told it would “take a bit longer” before the case is officially closed.
Buttigieg said he pointed out that it is a crime to file a false report and told Politico that “if there is any way to press civil or criminal charges over this, we will.”
The Associated Press account cited by guardonline said Buttigieg’s four-year-old twins were placed with their grandparents and underwent forensic interviews, and it quoted him writing, “They are four years old. Four.”
