Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg shared that he and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, were swatted with a fake report to Child Protective Services (CPS) which led to him being separated from his children for 24 hours.
In a Substack article, Buttigieg explained that “a few days ago” a police officer and CPS worker showed up at his home and informed him that an “allegation” had been lodged against him regarding his four-year-old twins. Buttigieg shared that he was informed that he “was not to be alone around the children” until after the children were interviewed, and that afterward he would be told information regarding “the nature of the allegation.”
“I was bewildered and troubled, but tried to stay calm,” Buttigieg wrote. “I’m used to any number of falsehoods, attacks, and serious problems being thrown my way. What I didn’t understand was what could have led to this kind of visit. Then, the CPS worker told me something that made my stomach turn: I was not to be alone around the children, as least until the interview took place the next day.”
Buttigieg continued to share that he and Chasten “agreed that the kids would stay at their grandparents’ house,” adding that being separated from his children that night were “among the darkest hours” of his life.
After the children were interviewed, Buttigieg shared that the CPS worker and police officer sat down with him and his lawyer and informed him about a call received from an “anonymous caller.”
“Then, for the first time, the officer explained what the allegation actually was,” Buttigieg said. “An anonymous caller had contacted CPS. The caller said that he had spoken to a woman who claimed to have met me at a conference several years ago in Alabama, where she said I told her that I had committed unspeakable violent crimes, and the caller believed my children were still at risk.”
In his Substack article, Buttigieg expressed that his family is now dealing “with the aftermath,” adding that he and Chasten “worry about who else might try to do this kind of thing.”
Buttigieg pointed out that the children are four years old and “do not know or care what a Democrat or a Republican is,” nor do they know about politics or about hate. Buttigieg also notes that his children’s biggest worries should be “about what kind of ice cream they’re getting this afternoon.”
In response to Buttigieg’s article, several people such as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), expressed that attacks like these “cannot be normalized” and that they were thinking of Buttigieg’s family.
“Horrifying,” Walz wrote in a post on X. “These politically charged attacks have become too common in America. It cannot be normalized, and leaders on both sides of the aisle must condemn this. Keeping Pete, Chasten, and their children in my thoughts this week.”
“No matter our politics, there has to be a line,” Pritzker wrote in a post on X. “Using false reports to drag young children into a political attack is beyond the pale. Pete, I’m thinking of your family. I’m grateful you’re all safe, and I hope whoever did this is held accountable.”
“No parent should ever have to go through this, period,” Vivek Ramaswamy wrote in a post on X.
“This is reprehensible, hateful, and, simply, unacceptable,” transgender-identifying Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE) wrote in a post on X. “Our world is lucky to have Pete and Chasten, their family, and their collective love for one another in it.”
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