LANSING, Mich. – In a statement to Local 4, a spokesperson for the Michigan Attorney General’s Office said “common sense” should have made it clear that child abuse allegations targeting former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg lacked credibility.
In June, Buttigieg said he was forced to spend a night away from his 4-year-old twins after a false report alleged he posed a danger to his children. According to NBC News, he was not allowed to be alone with them until they completed forensic interviews. Buttigieg later called the incident “the ugliest thing that has happened to me since my career in service began.”
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“Child abuse is a heinous offense and must be taken seriously; however, common sense would have shown that this targeted report plainly lacked credibility on its face,” said Kimberly Bush, director of the Office of Public Information and Education for the Michigan Department of Attorney General.
Bush said knowingly filing a false report of child abuse or neglect is a potential felony under Michigan law.
“Before children are separated from their families, due diligence should be exercised to ensure some nexus exists between the source and the family, or that the complaint comes from a reputable, reliable, or verifiable source,” Bush said.
According to Bush, the Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation into the false report to determine whether any laws were broken and to help prevent similar incidents from happening again.
The department also said it has asked the Michigan State Police to turn over evidence and investigative leads related to the alleged violation of the Buttigieg family’s privacy.