Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has detailed a harrowing experience where he was separated from his young children for a night following a false anonymous police report alleging he posed a danger to them. Michigan State Police investigated the claim and determined it to be unsubstantiated, suspecting a politically motivated source.
According to Buttigieg, police initiated forensic interviews for his four-year-old twins and temporarily prohibited him from being alone with them until the interviews were completed. He described the incident, which occurred shortly after he posted Father's Day photos of his family on social media, as "among the darkest hours of my life." He expressed a mix of "rage and sadness" that his children were involved in such a situation, emphasizing their young age and lack of political awareness.
Buttigieg likened the false allegation to "Swatting," a tactic where hoax callers falsely report emergencies to send armed police to a location, but in this case directed at Child Protective Services. He raised concerns about the potential "unseen effects" of the ordeal on himself, his husband Chasten, and their children.
Buttigieg, a prominent Democrat who ran for president in 2020 and is considered a potential future White House contender, shared his account on Substack. Michigan State Police confirmed to the BBC that the allegation was false.