Pete Buttigieg briefly separated from children as target of ‘politically motivated’ false CPS report, police say
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg revealed Friday that he was the target of a “politically motivated hoax” that falsely accused him of a “horrific crime,” resulting in authorities ordering him to stay away from his young children.
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Buttigieg described the 24-hour ordeal as “among the darkest hours of my life,” in a lengthy Substack post recounting how an anonymous report prompted Michigan law enforcement and Child Protective Services to visit his home and interview his four-year-old twins.
“Even though the accusation was absurdly and obviously false, and was promptly rejected by law enforcement, I still worry about the harm it has done,” Buttigieg wrote.
The former Biden administration official said he was informed by a police officer and CPS worker that showed up at his home that an allegation had been made against him concerning his children.
A “forensic interview had been arranged for the children the following day,” Buttigieg wrote, noting that he was told he could not be present for the interview and “was not to be alone around the children” until after it took place.
The children spent the night at their grandparents’ home, he said.
The following day Buttigieg was informed about the disturbing details of the allegation.
“An anonymous caller had contacted CPS. 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,” Buttigieg explained.
After being asked “a couple of obvious questions” by law enforcement, such as if he had ever been the town where the woman claimed she met him (which he said he hadn’t), the officer “made clear that he believed this was politically motivated, and said it would not be referred to a prosecutor.”
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“Nothing in the forensic interview with the children, which was conducted by trained personnel, had led to concerns,” the former Democratic presidential candidate added.
In a statement, Michigan State Police said they received an “anonymous report” and that they and child protective services “responded and determined the report was false.”
The former Biden administration official likened his experience to being “swatted,” which is when a false emergency is called in to 911 in an effort to prompt a SWAT team response to a person’s home.
Buttigieg said the false report was made shortly after he shared photos of his family on social media for Father’s Day.
“The police officer, the CPS professional, and the forensic interviewers who spoke to my children were just following procedure and doing their jobs – admirable jobs that must be incredibly difficult every day, protecting the most vulnerable children from the most horrible threats. When a serious allegation is made, they respond. But in this case, their time and resources were wasted in a cruel, politically motivated hoax that harmed our family,” Buttigieg continued.
He added, “I am a reasonable man. 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.”
Buttigieg indicated that if he finds out who the hoaxster is he will would pursue civil action and criminal charges against them “not just for our own sakes but to draw a line that I thought everyone already recognized: do not mess with someone’s kids.”
With Post wires
