Pete Buttigieg says an anonymous false report forced him and his family into a frightening 24-hour ordeal, including a night away from his four-year-old twins. Michigan State Police said they responded to the complaint, and child protective services later determined it was false.
The former transportation secretary described the episode in a Substack post as “among the darkest hours of my life.” According to Buttigieg, an officer and a child protective services worker came to his home in Traverse City after the anonymous allegation claimed he posed a danger to his children.
What Police Say Happened
Michigan State Police said in a statement to The Associated Press that they received an anonymous report and worked with child protective services to respond. The agencies then determined the report was false.
Buttigieg said investigators told him the caller claimed he had once confessed to violent crimes during a chance meeting in Alabama, a place he said he has never visited. He also said police told him the allegation would not be referred to prosecutors and that it appeared politically motivated.
Why The Case Stands Out
The incident comes as Buttigieg remains a prominent Democratic figure and a possible 2028 presidential candidate. He has long faced anti-LGBTQ attacks, and he said the timing followed the Father’s Day photos he shared of his family online.
“I cannot describe the mix of rage and sadness that I feel at the idea that someone brought our children into this,” Buttigieg wrote. “They are four years old. Four. They do not know or care what a Democrat or a Republican is.”
Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, adopted their twins while he was serving in the Biden administration, and he previously drew criticism from some Republicans for taking paternity leave. He also said he has faced death threats during his career.
A Broader Pattern Of Political Harassment
Public officials across the political spectrum have increasingly been targeted by swatting, a tactic that uses false emergency calls to trigger a police response at a specific address. Law enforcement agencies say these incidents waste resources and can endanger both officers and the people targeted.
Buttigieg said the experience felt like part of a wider escalation in political hostility. “Everyone knows politics is ugly these days,” he wrote. “It’s always been ugly, but now it feels more and more like bloodsport.”
“Even so, this is different,” he added.
