Pete Buttigieg recalls 'darkest hours' after false CPS report separates him from twins

Former US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Friday that an anonymous and – police say – meritless accusation resulted in a Child Protective Services (CPS) investigation of his family.

In a Substack post, Buttigieg described the incident, which caused him to be separated from his four-year-old twins, as "among the darkest hours of my life" and compared it to "swatting" – the practice of calling in a false emergency to trigger a police response.

"Now imagine the same concept, but with Child Protective Services instead of a SWAT team," Buttigieg wrote. "Hadn't thought of that? Me neither, until a few days ago when a police officer and a CPS worker showed up at our home."

According to Buttigieg, the social worker and officer required him and his husband, Chasten, to separate from their children for 24 hours. Buttigieg sent the children to their grandparents' house. The accusation was later found to be unsubstantiated and politically motivated, he said.

Michigan State Police spokesperson Shanon Banner confirmed the incident, stating the department received an "anonymous report" and "determined the report was false." Banner added: "False reports are dangerous and divert law enforcement officers and CPS workers from responding to legitimate emergencies."

Buttigieg, a potential 2028 presidential contender, wrote that an anonymous caller claimed to have spoken to a woman who met Buttigieg at a conference in Alabama, where he allegedly confessed to violent crimes. Buttigieg said he had never been to the claimed location and called the accusation a "cruel, politically motivated hoax."

Buttigieg noted that the hoax occurred shortly after he shared family photos on social media for Father's Day and during a month meant to make families like his feel safe.