In this file photo from 2023, then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (R), husband Chasten Buttigieg and their children Penelope and Gus attend the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 10, 2023 in Washington, DC. Buttigieg said his family was subject to a CPS investigation after a false report on June 26, 2026.
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Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says he and his children were the subject of an investigation by Child Protective Services following an anonymous report that was later determined to be false.
Buttigieg, who lives with his husband and their twin four-year-old children in Traverse City, Michigan detailed the experience in a Substack post on Friday, saying that a police officer and CPS worker had come to his home and notified him of an anonymous report that alleged his children were at risk.
In response to the claim, Buttigieg shared that both children had to participate in forensic interviews where no family could be present. Because he was not permitted to be alone with his children until after the interviews, he added they went to stay with their grandparents, away from their fathers.
“The twenty-four hours until they returned are among the darkest hours of my life,” Buttigieg wrote.
When asked for comment, the Michigan State Police told NPR they had received an anonymous report this week that state police and CPS responded to and “determined the report was false.”
Buttigieg, a rising star within the Democratic Party and potential 2028 presidential contender, first garnered national attention when he ran for president in 2020, making history as the first openly gay person to run a competitive election for a major party nomination.
The Michigan State Police have not shared any additional information on a potential motive for the false report against Buttigieg and his family. But in his statement Friday, Buttigieg noted the incident had taken place during Pride Month, meant to celebrate LGBTQ+ people.
“It’s not lost on me that this happened soon after we shared photos of our family on social media for Father’s Day,” Buttigieg said in his statement. “Or that this occurred during a month meant to make families like ours feel welcome and safe.”
News of the incident prompted bipartisan support for Buttigieg, including from Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisc., who replied to the Michigan Democrat’s post on X saying, “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,” he added.
NPR has not independently confirmed Van Orden’s claims.
Buttigieg, who in his statement described himself as “reasonable” and said he tries to remain calm and low-key, shared his strong emotions sparked by the involvement of his children.
“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,” he said. “They do not know or care what a Democrat or a Republican is. They don’t know how politics works. They don’t know about hate.”
