Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he and his children were targeted by an anonymous report that triggered a Child Protective Services investigation and a police response at his home in Traverse City, Michigan. Buttigieg said Michigan State Police and a CPS worker came to the house and informed him that an allegation had been made claiming he was a danger to his four-year-old twins, Penelope and Gus.

Buttigieg said the children were taken for forensic interviews without him present and that he was not allowed to be alone with them while the process played out. He added that his family arranged for the twins to stay with their grandparents during the period he was separated from them. He later said the roughly 24 hours before they returned were among the “darkest hours” of his life.

Police determined the report was false, according to Buttigieg and to statements from Michigan State Police. Officials said such false reports are dangerous because they divert law enforcement and child-protection resources from legitimate emergencies and harm families in the process.

Buttigieg also said the incident appeared to be politically motivated, and he described the allegation as involving claims he had committed “unspeakable violent crimes,” which he said he never had. He said he was told during an interview that the caller believed the children were still at risk based on an earlier alleged interaction.

Buttigieg said it was not lost on him that the event occurred during Pride Month and shortly after he shared family photos for Father’s Day. He said he is exploring civil or criminal action related to the incident.

Authorities did not publicly identify the person who made the anonymous report, and no additional details about motive were provided beyond the determination that the report was unsubstantiated.