Michigan AG investigates how an unvetted, false allegation separated Pete Buttigieg from his children

Michigan’s attorney general is investigating how an unsubstantiated tip led authorities to keep the former transportation secretary from being alone with his 4-year-old twins.

Authorities separated former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg from his children before taking basic steps to determine whether the accusation against him was credible, according to police records obtained by The Washington Post. They reveal failures across two states.

The Michigan attorney general’s office is investigating the false allegation and government response, The Washington Post reported Monday.

Related: Pete Buttigieg was separated from his children after false CPS report targeted his family

Michigan investigators waited six days after confronting Buttigieg and telling him he could not be alone with his children before attempting to identify the person behind the report. Authorities later described the complainant as possibly “mentally unstable” and examined evidence suggesting the accusation may have been politically motivated.

By then, the damage had been done.

Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, sent their 4-year-old twins to stay with grandparents. The children were questioned alone in separate hour-long interviews. Both said they felt safe, the paper reports.

The former South Bend, Indiana mayor described the roughly 24-hour separation as “among the darkest hours of my life,” in a Substack post detailing the situation.

The ordeal began after Indiana child welfare authorities received a hotline report containing “very limited information.” Indiana officials passed the allegation to Michigan, where the Buttigiegs live, but withheld the caller’s name and contact information, citing agency policy.

A Michigan State Police trooper and a child welfare official arrived at Buttigieg’s home on June 23. Buttigieg has said investigators initially refused to tell him what he had been accused of doing. They instructed him either to stay at a hotel or send the children elsewhere until interviews could be conducted the next day.

According to The Post, records indicate that neither state meaningfully vetted the claim before disrupting the family. Michigan police did not seek the caller’s identity until June 29, after Buttigieg had gone public and the department had announced that the allegation was unfounded.

“Common sense would have shown that this targeted report plainly lacked credibility on its face,” Kimberly Bush, a spokesperson for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, told The Post.

Bush said authorities should establish a connection between a complainant and a family, or determine that a report comes from a reliable source, before separating children from their parents.

The Post identified and interviewed the apparent complainant, an Alabama woman who had previously lived in Indiana. She admitted making reports about Buttigieg but could not provide dates, documents or other evidence. She said she was concerned about his children and his possible presidential ambitions.

Police records also referenced a social media post in which the woman urged people not to vote for Buttigieg before contacting authorities. “At the very least, it’s incredibly poor investigative work,” University of Michigan law professor Vivek Sankaran told The Post. “I would even say reckless, in light of how harmful this is for the family.”

Related: Watch Pete Buttigieg fight back happy tears discussing life with husband Chasten and twins

The episode carries an especially menacing undertone because Buttigieg, the first openly gay Cabinet secretary confirmed by the Senate, has long faced attacks over his sexuality, his marriage and the couple’s decision to adopt children. He told investigators his family receives threats, including death threats.

The Indiana State Police are investigating whether someone filed a false report. Michigan authorities said they would determine whether charges are appropriate after the complainant is identified.

“This has been a painful and infuriating situation for the family,” Buttigieg spokesperson Sean Manning told The Post. “They are in touch with Michigan authorities, seeking answers and accountability for what happened.”