U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace accuses ex-fiancé and associates of assaulting her and raping others

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-SC., speaks during the Republican National Convention July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

CHAPIN, S.C. — Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina on Monday used a nearly hour-long speech on the U.S. House floor to accuse her ex-fiance of physically abusing her, recording sex acts with her and others without their consent, and conspiring with business associates in acts of rape and sexual misconduct.

Mace said she was speaking out because her home state’s top prosecutor didn’t take action even after she alerted investigators. That same prosecutor is likely to be Mace’s opponent if she runs for governor of South Carolina in 2026, which she is considering.

Saying she was going “scorched earth,” Mace detailed how, in November 2023, she says she “accidentally uncovered some of the most heinous crimes against women imaginable. We’re talking about rape, non-consensual photos, non-consensual videos of women and underage girls, and the premeditated, calculated exploitation of women and girls in my district.”

Mace mentioned four men as being involved, including Charleston-area businessman Patrick Bryant, who was her fiance until 2023 and went door-to-door stumping for her during her 2022 reelection campaign.

The AP wasn’t able to independently verify Mace’s claims. Bryant told AP: “I categorically deny these allegations. I take this matter seriously and will cooperate fully with any necessary legal processes to clear my name.”

Mace accused South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson of slow-walking any investigation of Bryant and the other men after she brought the photos and video to 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, noting that her office had set up a tip line for anyone with information on the allegations.

In a statement after Mace’s speech, Wilson’s office called her comments regarding the prosecutor’s conduct “categorically false” and said the office “has not received any reports or requests for assistance from any law enforcement or prosecution agencies regarding these matters.”

The State Law Enforcement Division, South Carolina’s state police agency, said in a statement that its agents had opened an investigation into Bryant in December 2023 on allegations of “assault, harassment, and voyeurism.” Noting that investigation remained active and would be sent to a prosecutor for review once completed, the agency said it had “conducted multiple interviews, served multiple search warrants, and has a well-documented case file that will be available for release upon the conclusion of the case.”

Mace, a former South Carolina state House member, was the first woman to graduate from The Citadel, the state’s military college, where her father then served as commandant of cadets. Briefly serving in the state House, in 2020 she became the first Republican woman elected to represent South Carolina in Congress, flipping the 1st District after a single term with a Democratic representative.

Her decision to air the allegations in a floor speech was unusual. In a release, Mace stressed that members' statements on the House floor “are quintessential `legislative acts”' and thereby protected by the “speech or debate” clause, which generally protects lawmakers from being sued for what they say.

“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,” Mace said. She mentioned a dozen bills on which she had worked in the House, on topics ranging from stopping voyeurism to banning transgender women from using women’s bathrooms at the U.S. Capitol or House office buildings.

In 2019, Mace spoke publicly for the first time about a sexual assault she said had occurred more than two decades earlier, addressing South Carolina legislative colleagues in advocating for adding a rape and incest exception to a state House ban on all abortions after detection of a fetal 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.

“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.

Mace, 47, won a third U.S. House term in November and has said that she is “seriously considering” a 2026 run for South Carolina governor. If she enters that race, she will likely face Wilson -- in his fourth term and also the son of Rep. Joe Wilson -- in the Republican primary.

Mace has largely supported President Donald Trump, working for his 2016 campaign but levying criticism against him following the Jan. 6, 2021, violence at the U.S. Capitol, critique that spurred Trump to back a GOP challenger in her 2022 race. Mace defeated that opponent, won reelection and was endorsed by Trump in her 2024 campaign.

Mace declined additional comment to reporters in the Capitol after the speech. Asked how she felt now, she said: “I’m at peace.”

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By Meg Kinnard

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking contributed.