On Monday, “America First” Representative Nancy Mace from South Carolina delivered a speech that lasted almost an hour on the floor of the U.S. House. In her speech, she made allegations against her former fiancé, accusing him of physically abusing her, secretly recording sexual acts involving her and others without their consent, and colluding with business partners in acts of rape and sexual misconduct.
Representative Nancy Mace decided to raise her voice because the leading prosecutor in her home state failed to act upon receiving her report. If she decides to run for governor of South Carolina in 2026, the same prosecutor is expected to be her rival, and she is currently contemplating running for that position.
Representative Nancy Mace with Bible
Last night in my floor speech, I placed my hand on this Bible and I swore, “to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God…
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) February 11, 2025
…None of this is conjecture. This is not an allegation. These are the facts…” pic.twitter.com/0fX9HmqWWT
In November 2023, Representative Nancy Mace revealed that she stumbled upon extremely disturbing acts committed against women, including rape, non-consensual photographs and videos of women and underage girls, as well as the deliberate, planned exploitation of females in her area. She stated her intention to take drastic measures in response to these revelations.
Four individuals, including Patrick Bryant, a businessman from Charleston, who was Mace’s fiancé until 2023 and actively campaigned for her reelection in 2022, were named by Mace as being involved.
Bryant told national media: “I categorically deny these allegations. I take this matter seriously and will cooperate fully with any necessary legal processes to clear my name.”
Representative Nancy Mace alleged that South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson deliberately delayed the investigation into Bryant and the other individuals following her submission of the photos and video to the state authorities.
“Did South Carolina’s attorney general have any of these predators indicted after being provided clear cut-and-dry evidence including video, photos and witnesses?” Mace asked.
Mace’s office established a hotline to collect information regarding the allegations.
Mace’s speech was followed by a statement from Wilson’s office, which labeled her remarks about the prosecutor’s behavior as completely untrue and stated that the office had not been approached by any law enforcement or prosecution authorities for help regarding these issues.
Representative Nancy Mace, a previous member of the South Carolina state House, achieved the distinction of being the inaugural female graduate of The Citadel, the military college of the state, while her father held the position of commandant of cadets. After a brief tenure in the state House, she made history in 2020 as the initial Republican woman elected to represent South Carolina in Congress, successfully turning the 1st District from a Democratic representative after just one term.
Mace’s choice to bring forward the accusations through a speech on the House floor was atypical. Emphasizing the significance of members’ statements on the legislative platform, Mace asserted that they are fundamentally considered as legislative acts. Thus, these statements are safeguarded by the speech or debate clause, a provision that generally shields lawmakers from legal repercussions based on their expressed opinions.
“This isn’t a story about bitter ex-girlfriends or consensual sex tapes — there are plenty of those. I don’t care what two consenting adults agree to do,” Representative Nancy Mace said.
She highlighted twelve bills that she had been involved in while serving in the House, covering various subjects such as combatting voyeurism and prohibiting transgender women from using women’s restrooms in the U.S. Capitol or House office buildings.
Representative Nancy Mace publicly discussed a sexual assault in 2019 that had happened over twenty years ago. She addressed her South Carolina legislative colleagues to advocate for the inclusion of a rape and incest exemption to a state House bill that prohibited all abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat.
Representative Nancy Mace, according to her, had suffered from the actions of Bryant and the other individuals. Republican representatives Lauren Boebert from Colorado and Anna Paulina Luna from Florida were among those who sat behind Mace during her speech in a display of solidarity.
“Nancy Mace is our friend and we wanted to support her and give her the encouragement she needed to get that message out,” Boebert said.
If Mace, who is currently 47 years old, decides to run for the position of South Carolina governor in 2026, she will probably be up against Wilson, who is currently serving his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives and is also the son of Rep. Joe Wilson, in the Republican primary.
After working for President Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign, Mace showed support but later criticized him after the violence at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. This critique led Trump to endorse a GOP challenger against her in the 2022 race. However, Mace managed to defeat her opponent, secure re-election, and even gain Trump’s endorsement for her 2024 campaign.
Mace refrained from providing further comments to Capitol reporters following the speech. When asked about her current emotions, she responded with a simple statement, “I am at peace”.
Statement from Attorney General's Office on Rep. Mace's comments on
— South Carolina Attorney General's Office (@SCAttyGenOffice) February 11, 2025
U.S. House floor pic.twitter.com/6z3TOz67L4
