Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Friday that he was targeted this month in a false report to Child Protective Services that resulted in him being separated from his children for 24 hours.

Buttigieg, who was the first openly gay Senate-confirmed cabinet member, said he was the subject of a “swatting” incident. An anonymous caller claimed in the report that he had spoken with a woman whom Buttigieg personally told at a conference that he “had committed unspeakable violent crimes," according to The Hill. 

The former cabinet official said he was separated from his children for 24 hours while CPS conducted forensic interviews and that a police officer helping with the investigation “made clear that he believed this was politically motivated.” 

“Many times over the years, I have been denounced, yelled at, protested, threatened, and heckled,” Buttigieg wrote in a Substack post. “I’ve been through political attacks in office, death threats in public life, and rocket attacks in war. But this is the ugliest thing that has happened to me since my career in service began.” 

Buttigieg, who noted the incident occurred during Pride month and shortly after Father's Day, said the 24-hours he was separated from his four-year-old twin children were “among the darkest hours of my life.”

“We’re used to nasty, hateful, and sometimes violent things being said about us and even about our family,” he wrote. “But this is the first time someone managed to invade our lives like this – and drag our children into it.”

The former secretary also highlighted that the incident comes amid increased polarization in the United States.

“Everyone knows politics is ugly these days,” Buttigieg wrote. “It’s always been ugly, but now it feels more and more like bloodsport. 

“Cruelty, lies, and even deadly violence have been directed at political figures across the ideological spectrum,” he continued. “Generally everyone agrees this has to stop, even as our country (and public figures) get all too used to it.”

Michigan State Police has also told the Associated Press that their officers and CPS have "determined the report was false.”

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.