Rep. Nancy Mace accused her ex-fiancé and three enterprise companions of committing “wicked” sexual crimes towards herself and a dozen different ladies — together with underage ladies — in explosive remarks within the Home of Representatives on Monday.
The South Carolina Republican pol mentioned she got here ahead with the stunning allegations of rape, voyeurism and different sexual abuse after uncovering a trove of greater than 10,000 movies and different photographic proof contained on the telephone of her former husband-to-be Patrick Bryant.
“I by accident uncovered a few of the most heinous crimes towards ladies conceivable — we’re speaking about rape, nonconsensual pictures, nonconsensual movies of ladies and underage ladies, and the premeditated, calculated exploitation of ladies and ladies in my district,” Mace mentioned in her Home ground speech.
“At the moment you’ll hear concerning the wicked males behind these gutless, evil acts,” she added. “These males didn’t simply hurt their victims; they recorded their depravity as if it have been a badge of honor.”
The digital information Mace claims she found in November 2023 included nonconsensual pictures of “feminine staff, wives of male staff, girlfriends and different ladies who very clearly didn’t know their personal components have been being filmed or photographed,” the congresswoman mentioned, together with “upskirt pictures” of a minimum of one underage lady who was the daughter of a enterprise affiliate.
“Final 12 months, I needed to inform a lady that she’d been raped, and she or he didn’t even comprehend it,” Mace mentioned, telling lawmakers that she found a video of Bryant and considered one of his enterprise associates allegedly recording one other enterprise affiliate sexually assaulting an “incapacitated” lady.
“She had no concept as a result of she was incapacitated on the time of the rape,” Mace mentioned. “I knew she was raped as a result of I by accident discovered the video of her being raped.”
“The 2 of them, the three of them enterprise companions, the 2 of them had their telephones out identical to this. Filming her as she was being raped. And she or he was utterly laid out. There was no motion. There was no life. I couldn’t even inform if this younger lady was alive.”
Mace, who offered no proof throughout her remarks, is shielded from potential legal prosecution and civil lawsuits by the Structure’s speech and debate clause, which gives lawmakers with immunity for “acts taken inside the legislative sphere.”
The congresswoman claims she advised the state lawyer common’s workplace that there have been youngsters current on the property the place the girl was allegedly raped however that state social employees weren’t notified.
Mace additionally alleged that considered one of Bryant’s enterprise associates had “tried to intimidate” her from bringing the proof to mild — and that South Carolina Legal professional Normal Alan Wilson did not probe the act as witness intimidation regardless of apparently opening an investigation into the intercourse crime allegations.
Bryant denied Mace’s allegations in a press release to the New York Instances.
“I categorically deny these allegations,” he mentioned. “I take this matter critically and can cooperate totally with any vital authorized processes to clear my title.”
The congresswoman mentioned it took Wilson’s workplace seven months from the time she first got here ahead with the allegations and proof for an investigation to be opened.
With some feminine victims apparently listening within the Home gallery, Mace went on to recount how stumbling upon her ex-fiancé on a relationship app in October 2023 prompted Bryant to permit her entry to his telephone, the place she was horrified to discover a video of herself “undressed” and “unaware she was being filmed.”
“I turned up the quantity to listen to if there was audio. I heard my voice. I zoomed in on the video. The girl was me,” Mace revealed. “My whole physique paralyzed, and I couldn’t transfer.”
After making the terrifying discovery, she claimed that Bryant “bodily assaulted” her and she or he was pressured out of her dwelling and “into hiding” the next month, transferring in with mates and altering addresses a minimum of 4 occasions in a single 12 months.
“I nonetheless have the mark Patrick Bryant made on me. Moderately than see this mark as a scar, I see this scar because the mark of a free lady; free from a monster,” Mace additionally mentioned, disclosing that she had since been recognized with post-traumatic stress dysfunction.
“This isn’t a narrative about bitter ex-girlfriends … or consensual intercourse tapes, there are many these. I don’t care what two consenting adults comply with do. That’s the definition of freedom. It is a story about predators who hunt ladies for sport.”
All through the speech, Mace alleged that Wilson intentionally stalled his investigation into the intercourse crimes and was a part of “a system which did not defend” feminine victims.
“If anybody wish to arrest me for standing up for girls — listed here are my wrists. Arrest me. Take me to jail,” she threatened. “I’m 100% responsible for turning over proof of peeping Toms, of turning over proof of rape, of turning over proof of voyeurism, of turning over proof of intercourse trafficking and who is aware of, most likely a complete heck of quite a bit increasingly more crimes I don’t have time to get into tonight.”
“South Carolina Legal professional Normal Alan Wilson — you aren’t an actual man as a result of actual males, actual males defend ladies,” she mentioned with scorn.
Wilson’s workplace described Mace’s statements concerning the conduct of the South Carolina lawyer common as “categorically false” and “politically motivated.”
“Ms. Mace both doesn’t perceive or is purposefully mischaracterizing the function of the Legal professional Normal. At the moment, our workplace has not obtained any stories or requests for help from any legislation enforcement or prosecution businesses concerning these issues. Moreover, the Legal professional Normal and members of his workplace have had no function and no data of those allegations till her public statements,” learn a press release from the South Carolina AG’s workplace.
“Congresswoman Mace and the Legal professional Normal have been at a number of occasions collectively over the past six months. She additionally has the Legal professional Normal’s private cellphone quantity. Not as soon as has she approached or reached out to him concerning any of her considerations,” the assertion continued.
The AG’s workplace famous that it will be as much as native legislation enforcement businesses to research potential proof of against the law.
Bryant and two of his alleged enterprise companions whom Mace referenced, John Osborne and Eric Bowman, didn’t reply to The Submit’s requests for remark.
Brian Musgrave, who Mace claims owned properties with Bryant with hidden cameras put in in them, referred to as the allegations “baseless.”
“Nancy Mace’s assertion tonight is a harmful mixture of falsehoods and baseless accusations, recklessly leveled at 4 people and not using a shred of proof,” he advised The Submit.
“Her continued sample of constructing inflammatory claims with out proof is just not solely reckless however a blatant try to weaponize the authorized system for political and private acquire,” Musgrave added.
Mace, 47, cited a minimum of a dozen items of laws she had authored to crack down on intercourse offenders and protect ladies from abuse — together with her Sue VOYEURS Act, which permits for the prosecution of those that take nonconsensual intercourse movies of others.
“I’m sounding the alarm on predators who’re nonetheless roaming the streets of South Carolina, and our chief legislation enforcement officer, Legal professional Normal Alan Wilson, is aware of it,” the Republican pol mentioned.
“None of that is conjecture. These usually are not allegations. These are information. It’s documented,” Mace mentioned of her claims.
