Buttigieg says he was separated from his children after false report to police

“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 forensic interview, the officer explained that a caller believed the children were at risk because he spoke with a woman who claimed Buttigieg told her that he committed violent crimes in Alabama years ago. Buttigieg said he had never been to the town where he allegedly met the woman.

The officer concluded the report was politically motivated and assured Buttigieg that the case would not be referred to a prosecutor, as the forensic interview with the children had cleared his name with the CPS worker saying she found nothing to substantiate the allegation.

Michigan State Police confirmed the law enforcement agency and CPS “responded and determined the report was false.”

While the situation was being resolved, the children stayed at their grandparents’ house until the confusion could be cleared.

Buttigieg lives with his husband, Chasten. The false report was made shortly after Father’s Day when Buttigieg posted photos of his family on social media. It also came toward the end of Pride Month. It is unclear if he was targeted because of his sexuality.

The former Biden administration official condemned the politically motivated campaign, which he called the “ugliest thing that has happened to me since my career in service began.”

“Everyone knows politics is ugly these days,” he said. “It’s always been ugly, but now it feels more and more like bloodsport.”

Buttigieg appeared emotional in the Substack post, saying the experience tested his fortitude.

“I am a reasonable man. I try to keep as calm and low-key as possible,” he wrote. “But I cannot describe the mix of rage and sadness that I feel at the idea that someone brought our children into this. They are four years old. Four. They do not know or care what a Democrat or a Republican is.”

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The Michigan Democrat promised to press civil or criminal charges if he finds a way and left readers with a simple message: “Do not mess with someone’s kids.”

Buttigieg is speculated to be a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028.