Pete Buttigieg was target of false report, police say

Key Points:

• Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was subjected to a false anonymous report alleging danger to his children, resulting in a police and child protective services investigation that forced him to spend a night apart from his four-year-old twins.
• Michigan State Police and child protective services found the report to be baseless and politically motivated, with the anonymous caller falsely claiming Buttigieg confessed to violent crimes in Alabama—a location he has never visited.
• Buttigieg described the experience as one of the darkest moments of his life, expressing anger and sadness over the targeting of his young children amid ongoing anti-LGBTQ and political attacks against him.
• The incident occurred shortly after Buttigieg shared family photos for Father’s Day and comes amid a broader trend of politically motivated harassment and swatting against public officials, which law enforcement warns poses serious risks.
• Buttigieg emphasized that while politics has always been contentious, the current escalation, especially involving personal attacks on families, marks a troubling new level of hostility.