GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Michigan Attorney General’s Office has launched an investigation into the culprit behind a false allegation of child abuse against former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
A spokesperson for Dana Nessel’s office confirmed with News 8 that a probe has been launched.
Kimberly Bush, the director of the department’s Office of Public Information and Education, says Buttigieg’s former high standing in the federal government played no role in the department’s decision to pursue a case.
“Whenever any resident of the State of Michigan, be it a former cabinet secretary, local elected official, or your neighbor is wrongly and unjustly impacted by a false report of child abuse or neglect, that is a potential felony violation under Michigan law, and one we take seriously,” Bush said in a statement provided to News 8.
“The Department of Attorney General has opened an investigation into this malicious act not only to look into the potential unlawful conduct but also to mitigate the risk that this act could trigger copy-cat acts against other well-known residents and elected officials as the newest form of threat or intimidation.”
Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, rose to national prominence as an openly gay presidential candidate ahead of the 2020 election. After dropping out of the race, he was nominated and approved as Transportation Secretary by President Joe Biden.
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