What was determined to be a false report recently separated Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten from their adopted 4-year-old twins in an incident characterized as swatting.
One time presidential candidate Buttigieg said he was recently the victim of a “cruel, politically motivated hoax” that brought the Michigan State Police and Child Protective Services to his Michigan home where the children were interviewed without their parents present. The couple were told the interviews would happen the following day and that they would not be allowed to be alone with the children until the interview was completed. The children spent the night with their grandparents.
While swatting attempts typically involve dispatching a large police presence to a private home, this event involved the safety of the children with a false accusation related to child abuse.
Following the interview, officials met with Buttigieg and a lawyer to explain the allegation: an anonymous caller had relayed a secondhand claim that Buttigieg had admitted to committing “unspeakable violent crimes.” The caller claimed that Buttigieg had admitted these would-be crimes to a woman at a conference several years ago in Alabama. Buttigieg denied ever being at the location in question.
The investigating officer told him he believed the report was politically motivated and they would not seek prosecution. The CPS worker indicated that she found nothing to substantiate the allegation.
Buttigieg said he doesn’t know who might have perpetrated the hoax, but noted that the attack happened during Pride Month and not long after he shared photos of his family on social media in observance of Father’s Day.
Buttigieg Substack, Detroit News, NYT