Pete Buttigieg (regrettably on Substack):

You’ve probably heard of “swatting.” It’s a cruel and dangerous kind of hoax that has started happening more frequently in recent years. Someone anonymously calls 911 with a false report of imminent danger, such as a hostage situation, at the home of a public figure. Law enforcement swarms the house, guns drawn, terrifying the unsuspecting homeowner and family and sometimes even leading to deaths or injuries in the confusion. It’s happened to dozens of lawmakers, judges, celebrities, and others. (When I was in the Cabinet, someone attempted to do this to our home, but fortunately the hoax was quickly detected.) It’s become enough of a problem that the FBI now has a dedicated database to track such incidents.

Now imagine the same concept, but with Child Protective Services instead of a SWAT team. Hadn’t thought of that? Me neither, until a few days ago when a police officer and a CPS worker showed up at our home and politely asked to speak with me.

An anonymous caller accused Buttigieg of committing “unspeakable violent crimes” that purportedly put his twin four-year-olds in danger. The children were separated from their parents for a day and subjected to a “forensic interview” with CPS workers.

Calling the cops as an intimidation tactic is a clear abuse of law enforcement, whether against a public figure or a private citizen, and the perpetrators are unrepentantly evil. That it’s often effective is a scathing indictment of our state of policing.

Buttigieg’s anger comes through, but he’s remarkably restrained in his retelling of this violation against him and his family. I would not have managed such self-control. I’d be seething and prepared to go scorched earth on the person making such a reckless and baseless accusation. I would get medieval on their ass.