Michigan Police Separate Buttigieg From Children Over False Report

Michigan State Police received an anonymous report alleging that former U.S. transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg posed a danger to his children. Officers and Child Protective Services responded by arranging forensic interviews for the four-year-old twins and directing that Buttigieg not be alone with the children until the interviews were completed.

Police later determined the report was false and found no evidence to substantiate the claim. The agency described the false report as dangerous because it diverts workers from legitimate emergencies. Buttigieg wrote on Substack that the episode was among the darkest hours of his life.

He compared the incident to swatting, in which hoax callers send armed police to homes. Buttigieg also expressed concern about the unseen effects of the ordeal on his family.