Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg disclosed on Friday that his family was subjected to an investigation by Child Protective Services and law enforcement after an anonymous individual filed a false report alleging his children were at risk. Michigan State Police have confirmed the report was determined to be false.
Buttigieg, who resides in Traverse City, Michigan with his husband Chasten Buttigieg and their four-year-old twin children Penelope and Gus, detailed the ordeal in a Substack post published Friday. According to his account, a police officer and CPS worker arrived at his home to notify him of the anonymous allegation.
The investigation required both children to undergo forensic interviews without any family members present. Because Buttigieg was not permitted to remain alone with his children until the interviews concluded, the twins stayed with their grandparents, separated from both fathers during the process.
"The twenty-four hours until they returned are among the darkest hours of my life," Buttigieg told NPR.
When contacted for comment, the Michigan State Police confirmed to NPR that they had received an anonymous report this week to which state police and CPS responded. Authorities determined the report was false, though no additional information regarding a potential motive has been released.
In his Friday statement, Buttigieg noted the timing of the incident, which occurred during Pride Month and shortly after he shared photographs of his family on social media for Father's Day. "It's not lost on me that this happened soon after we shared photos of our family on social media for Father's Day," Buttigieg told NPR. "Or that this occurred during a month meant to make families like ours feel welcome and safe."
The former cabinet secretary, who served under President Biden, first gained national prominence during his 2020 presidential campaign, becoming the first openly gay person to run a competitive election for a major party nomination. He is widely regarded as a rising figure within the Democratic Party and a potential contender for the 2028 presidential race.
News of the false report prompted bipartisan expressions of support. Representative Derrick Van Orden, a Wisconsin Republican, responded to Buttigieg's post on X, stating that his own family had experienced a similar incident. "I hope they find the folks that did this and send them to prison," Van Orden added. NPR has not independently confirmed Van Orden's claims regarding his family.
In his statement, Buttigieg described himself as someone who typically remains calm and measured, but expressed profound distress over the involvement of his young children in what appears to be a targeted false report. He conveyed intense emotions regarding the impact on Penelope and Gus, emphasizing their age and innocence in a situation they could not possibly comprehend.
The incident raises broader concerns about the weaponization of child welfare systems and the vulnerability of public figures and their families to malicious false reports. While the investigation concluded with the determination that the allegations were unfounded, the process required the temporary separation of young children from their parents and subjected them to formal interviews typically reserved for cases involving genuine concerns of abuse or neglect.
