Rep. Nancy Mace, of South Carolina, used an almost hour-long address on the U.S. House Floor on Monday to accuse her former fiance of physical abuse, recording sexual acts with her without her consent, and conspiring with other business associates for acts of rape.
Mace claimed she spoke out because the top prosecutor in her state did not take action after she alerted authorities. Mace will likely face the same prosecutor if she decides to run for governor in South Carolina in 2026.
Mace, who claimed to be “scorched Earth,” described how she, in November of 2023, “accidentally discovered some of the most heinous crimes against women imaginable.” We’re talking rape, nonconsensual pictures, nonconsensual video of women and young girls, as well as the calculated, premeditated exploitation of girls and women in my district.
Mace said that four men were involved. One of them was Charleston businessman Patrick Bryant. He had been her fiance until 2023 and went door-to-door campaigning for her in her 2022 re-election campaign.
Bryant responded: “I categorically reject these allegations, I will fully cooperate with any legal process to clear my record.”
Mace claimed that South Carolina Attorney-General Alan Wilson had slowed down any investigation into Bryant and other men after she presented the photos and videos to the state authorities.
Mace asked: “Has South Carolina’s Attorney General indicted any of these predators after receiving clear, cut-and-dry proof including photos, videos, and witnesses?” Her office has set up a tip line for anyone who can provide information about the allegations.
In a statement after Mace’s speech, Wilson’s office called her comments regarding the prosecutor’s conduct “categorically false”. The office “has not received any reports or requests for assistance from any law enforcement or prosecution agencies regarding these matters.”
Mace was a South Carolina state House Member and the first woman in the state to graduate from The Citadel, South Carolina’s military school, where her dad served as the commandant of the cadets. She briefly served in the South Carolina State House before becoming the first Republican woman to be elected to Congress in 2020, flipping South Carolina’s 1st district after one term with a Democratic Representative.
Her decision to make the allegations public in a speech on the floor was unusual. Mace stated in a press release that the statements made by members on the House floor are “quintessential legislative acts” and therefore protected under the “speech-or-debate” clause. This clause protects legislators from being sued.
This isn’t about bitter ex-girlfriends or consenting sex recordings — those are plentiful. Mace stated that she didn’t give a damn what two consenting adults agree to do. She listed a dozen bills she worked on in the House. Topics ranged from voyeurism to preventing transgender women from using the women’s restrooms at the U.S. Capitol and House office buildings.
Mace, who was addressing South Carolina legislators in 2019, spoke for the first public time about an assault that she claimed had taken place more than 20 years earlier. She advocated for adding a rape-and-incest exception to South Carolina’s House of Representatives ban on all abortions following detection of a heartbeat.
On Monday, Mace said she was joined in the House gallery by several women she said had been victimized by Bryant and the other men. Among the Republican lawmakers who sat behind Mace during her speech to show their support were Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla.
Boebert stated, “Nancy Mace is our friend, and we wanted her to be supported and given the encouragement to spread her message.”
Mace, 47 years old, has won her third term in the U.S. House of Representatives and said she’s “seriously evaluating” running for governor in South Carolina in 2026. She will face Wilson, who is in his fourth term as well as the son of Rep. Joe Wilson in the Republican primaries if she runs in that race.
Mace has been a strong supporter of President Donald Trump. She worked for his campaign in 2016 but criticized him after the violence that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. This criticism led Trump to endorse a GOP candidate as her opponent in 2022. Mace won the election and was re-elected after Trump endorsed her in 2024.
Mace refused to comment further on the speech when reporters approached her in the Capitol following the speech. When asked how she feels now, Mace replied: “I feel at peace.”
