Pete Buttigieg: False CPS Report Targeted His Family

Michigan State Police confirmed on June 26, 2026, that an anonymous complaint triggered a law-enforcement and Child Protective Services investigation into former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at the family's Traverse City, Michigan, home, and that the report was determined to be false.

Buttigieg, who served in President Biden's cabinet after an 86–13 Senate confirmation vote in February 2021, described the events in detail in a personal account published on Substack. A police officer and a CPS worker arrived at the home. Buttigieg was told he could not be alone with his four-year-old twins until after a forensic interview the following day. The children stayed that night at their grandparents' home, Buttigieg wrote that he and Chasten agreed to that arrangement, while the interviews were scheduled without any family member present.

What the Official Record Shows

Michigan State Police confirmed in a statement attributed to communications director Shanon Banner that the agency and CPS responded to the anonymous report and determined it was false. Banner added: "False reports are dangerous and divert law enforcement officers and Child Protective Services workers from responding to legitimate emergencies and protecting vulnerable children and families."

The detailed chronology of the family's experience, the restriction from being alone with the children, the overnight stay at the grandparents' home, the approximately 24-hour period until the children returned, comes from Buttigieg's own published account. Those particulars were not separately detailed by police in public statements.

Buttigieg wrote that the responding officer told him the allegation appeared politically motivated and said it would not be referred to a prosecutor. That is Buttigieg's account of the officer's view. Michigan State Police have not issued a separate public statement about motive.

The Allegation's Contents

Buttigieg described the anonymous allegation in his Substack post. An anonymous male caller, he wrote, said he had spoken to a woman who claimed to have met Buttigieg at a conference in Alabama, where she said he told her he had committed "unspeakable violent crimes", and the caller believed the children were still at risk. Buttigieg told the officer he had never been to the town described.

No official source has named a suspect. No arrest has been announced. No prosecution has been disclosed.

Why the Timing Drew Attention

The incident took place earlier in the week of June 26. Buttigieg posted family photographs on social media for Father's Day in the days before the report was filed. The investigation occurred during Pride Month.

Buttigieg drew those connections explicitly in his Substack post: "It's not lost on me that this happened soon after we shared photos of our family on social media for Father's Day. Or that this occurred during a month meant to make families like ours feel welcome and safe." The timing does not establish who filed the report or why. Michigan State Police have not publicly linked the complaint to either event.

Buttigieg described the incident as a form of swatting, "now imagine the same concept, but with Child Protective Services instead of a S.W.A.T. team," he wrote. he wrote. He said he had not considered that possibility until it happened to his family.

Reactions Across the Political Spectrum

The account drew responses from figures across party lines within hours of publication. California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X: "This is so disgusting and beyond the pale. Families should be off limits." Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Senator John McCain and a frequent conservative commentator, called the incident "absolutely horrifying" and said no family should face it. Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, wrote: "No parent should ever have to go through this, period."

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, Republican of Wisconsin, replied to Buttigieg's post on X: "this has happened to our family and I agree, this is horrible. I hope they find the folks that did this and send them to prison." NPR reported Van Orden's reply and noted it had not independently confirmed his personal claim.

No traceable statement from DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who holds the cabinet position most directly connected to federal law-enforcement jurisdiction, was located in official records, DHS releases, or news wires as of publication.

What the False Report Meant in Practice

Buttigieg wrote that the four-year-old twins each sat through a forensic interview lasting nearly an hour, in a location they had not visited before, with adults they did not know, while no family member was permitted in the room and no family member was told what they were being asked. He and Chasten were not informed of the allegation's specific contents until after the interviews concluded.

"The twenty-four hours until they returned are among the darkest hours of my life," he wrote. "I tried to get my head around the idea that I had been accused of something so serious that I couldn't be alone around my own children, and had consented to have them interviewed by strangers, without my knowing where the accusation had come from or even what it contained."

After the officer and CPS worker completed their assessment the following day, both told him they had found nothing to substantiate the allegation.

What Buttigieg Said

Buttigieg described the incident as the ugliest thing that had happened to him since entering public service, beyond political attacks, death threats, and, as a Navy Reserve officer who served in Afghanistan, rocket attacks in a war zone.

He did not name a suspected caller and did not claim to know with certainty who filed the report. He described it as a "cruel, politically motivated hoax" and said he intends to pursue civil or criminal charges if any legal avenue becomes available: "So help me God, if there is any way to press civil or criminal charges over this, we will."

Sequence of Events

The following facts are supported by Michigan State Police's public statement or by Buttigieg's first-person account, with the source identified for each item:

• An anonymous male caller filed a report with CPS alleging Buttigieg's children were at risk (Buttigieg's account)

• Michigan State Police and CPS responded to the Traverse City family home (MSP statement to AP)

• Buttigieg was instructed not to be alone with his children until after a forensic interview (Buttigieg's account)

• Buttigieg and Chasten agreed to send the children to their grandparents' home for the night (Buttigieg's account)

• Each child underwent a forensic interview of nearly an hour without any family present (Buttigieg's account)

• Investigators concluded the report was false (MSP statement; Buttigieg's account)

• MSP publicly confirmed the report was false; no caller has been publicly identified (MSP statement to AP, CBS News, NPR)
  The allegation's full content beyond Buttigieg's summary, the caller's identity, any motive, and whether a prosecution will follow remain unestablished on the public record.

Political Context

Buttigieg left the Transportation Department when the Biden administration ended. He has not announced a 2028 presidential campaign. Several news outlets have described him as a prospective candidate based on early polling, no campaign structure or declaration exists on the public record.

His Substack post closed with a statement about his children rather than about his political future: "They are just children, kids who deserve the best upbringing that their parents can provide, who mean more to us than anything, whom we love beyond words and will do anything to protect, and whose right to a safe and happy childhood deserves absolute and unconditional respect."

Michigan State Police have not announced a timeline for further action, and as of June 27, 2026, no arrest has been made.