'We just can't go on like this': Pete Buttigieg speaks out after child services swatting incident
'We just can't go on like this': Pete Buttigieg speaks out after child services swatting incident
Buttigieg spoke to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on "GMA" on Wednesday.
ByKatie Kindelan and Ariane Nalty
July 1, 2026, 8:45 AMFormer Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is speaking out in his first interview about being targeted by a child services swatting call, leading to him being temporarily separated from his two children.
"As a family, we're just trying to put this behind us," Buttigieg said in an exclusive interview on Wednesday with "Good Morning America" co-anchor George Stephanopoulos.
"I don't know how much of this they're going to remember," he said of his 4-year-old twins with his husband, Chasten. "I know I will. It's one of the most awful moments of my life, and something I wouldn't wish on anybody."
Buttigieg, a high-profile Democratic Party figure and a potential 2028 presidential hopeful, said he hopes the individual who made the allegation is "found and is prosecuted."
"To me, the most important thing going forward is we just cannot allow our politics to keep moving in this direction," he said. "This can't be treated as something that it's just something you accept, something you take on when you choose to go into public service."
"We just can't go on like this," he added.
Buttigieg, who lives with his family in Traverse City, Michigan, said a police officer and Children's Protective Services worker showed up at his home to speak with him about an allegation. According to Buttigieg, the officials would not tell him what the allegation was but said he could not be alone with his children.
RelatedPete Buttigieg and his kids were targeted by child services swatting call: PoliceButtigieg said his children were each interviewed alone and that he did not know the circumstances of the allegation until after those interviews were complete.
"The next day, about 24 hours later, that's when they asked me if I had ever been to a location in Alabama, which I've never been to, where an anonymous caller had told CPS that somebody had told him that I had told her that I had committed unspeakable crimes," he said. "And only then did we know that the police agreed that this was not an allegation that was credible, and that we could start going back to normal as a family, which is what we've been trying to do in the days since."
Michigan State Police confirmed in a statement last week that the anonymous report from the person was false.
"False reports are dangerous and divert law enforcement officers and Child Protective Services workers from responding to legitimate emergencies and protecting vulnerable children and families," Michigan State Police said in a statement.
Buttigieg told Stephanopoulos he plans to continue his public service work in the wake of the incident, saying, "I'm going to keep working on causes that I believe in."
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He added that he has been inspired by the bipartisan reaction to him sharing his story in a blog post published Friday, and hopes there is agreement moving forward that families are left out of politics.
"I'll also say that the response, since we made the decision to speak out about this, has been really extraordinary, hearing from people across the country, not just people I know and have worked with, and our political allies, but actually people from the other side, people in some cases that I campaigned against reaching out or speaking out in solidarity at it," he said. "We have got to be able to agree as a country on at least this fundamental principle that you do not go after people's families, that whatever you think of somebody's politics, however you want to argue or fight about political issues, you leave somebody's children alone."
RelatedPete Buttigieg won't seek Senate, Michigan governor jobs amid presidential bid speculationAn NPR report last year found a rise in the number of swatting calls against members of Congress, forcing police to use resources to respond. Over the past several years, President Donald Trump has faced multiple assassination attempts, while in Minnesota last year, a state representative and her husband were killed and a second lawmaker and his wife were wounded in shootings that the state's governor called an "act of targeted political violence."
Buttigieg added that he hopes that moving forward, the country is able to agree on "fairness" and "integrity" in public life. He said swatting calls "can't be treated as something that is just something you accept, something you take on, when you choose to go into public service," adding, "we just can't go on like this."
"This is so far beyond Democrat and Republican stuff," he said. "And we've got to be able to say as a country that we don't have to agree on politics, we don't have to agree on policy, we have to agree that we want some fairness and some integrity and some decency in public life in this country."
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
