Pete Buttigieg says an anonymous caller made a false report to Child Protective Services alleging he committed crimes against his children. Buttigieg says CPS found nothing to substantiate the claim, police believed the case was politically motivated, and it w
Pete Buttigieg’s family became the target of what he calls a “politically motivated hoax” after someone filed a false report with Child Protective Services, alleging he committed crimes against his children.
Buttigieg, a prominent Democrat and a potential 2028 presidential contender, wrote about the incident in a post on Substack on Friday. He said an anonymous caller contacted CPS and claimed the caller had spoken to a woman who said she met Buttigieg at a conference several years ago in Alabama. In that account. the woman alleged that Buttigieg told her he had committed “unspeakable violent crimes. ” and that Buttigieg’s children were still at risk.
Buttigieg said the case was handled as though the accusation had some basis—until the evidence didn’t back it up. He wrote that the CPS worker assigned to the case did not find anything to substantiate the allegation. He also said he doesn’t know the identity of the person who made the accusation.
The former Transportation Secretary also likened the episode to “swatting,” a practice in which someone falsely calls 911 to report an immediate threat, often at a public figure’s home—except, he said, this time the report went to CPS rather than a SWAT team.
Buttigieg said the police officer on the case “made clear that he believed this was politically motivated,” and that it would not be referred to a prosecutor. He added that nothing in the forensic interview with the children—conducted by trained personnel—led to concerns.
With the allegation unsubstantiated and the case not heading toward a prosecutor, the incident leaves a different question hanging in the air: who was behind the anonymous call, and why target his family through a system built to respond to real danger?
Pete Buttigieg Child Protective Services CPS hoax politically motivated swatting Alabama conference forensic interview