We should take Nancy Mace’s assault allegations seriously and wait for the facts | Opinion

Watching U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Daniel Island, speak on the House floor Monday night about sexual predation, I couldn’t help but think of her unwavering support for Donald Trump, found liable for sexual abuse in 2023.

The more she spoke, the easier it was to remember that she wanted Matt Gaetz, accused of statutory rape, to become attorney general of the United States.

I haven’t been able to shake the image of her smiling next to a “women’s restroom” sign to troll the first transgender member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Or that she and a colleague rushed into a restroom in the Capitol Building mistakenly believing they had caught a man there. It was a woman.

As she leveled disgusting allegations against four men whose photos she had enlarged on a poster board below the word “Predators” and above the phrase “Stay away from,” I wished she had spent more time previously proving herself trustworthy rather than someone obsessed with attention for attention’s sake.

I do not know if what she said is true. She presented no evidence. But after her 52-minute speech, the State Law Enforcement Division confirmed it has been investigating the allegations since December 2023.

I do know, however, that the issues she raised are problems that continue vexing society.

Far too many women are exploited in a variety of ugly ways.

Far too many are disbelieved. Many don’t even bother reporting the assaults they’ve endured.

Far too few women receive the justice they deserve.

That’s why Mace’s allegations can’t — and shouldn’t — be ignored.

She claimed numerous women were harmed and recorded by four men whom I will not name. Not one of them has been charged after more than a year of investigation.

Mace said one may have drugged her. She said she zoomed in on one cellphone video and saw herself, naked.

If the allegations are true — if — it would be a stunning development in the career of one of the most controversial people to ever represent the First — or any — Congressional District of South Carolina.

And sad.

And gut-wrenching.

No woman should ever have to experience what Mace said she and others have. But Mace also used the moment to take a jab at what might be the biggest obstacle between her and the Governor’s Office.

Mace is exploring a run to become South Carolina’s next governor in an open 2026 election. S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson is considering one as well. They are two of the most prominent Republicans in this red state.

During her speech, Mace attacked Wilson for allegedly not caring about what she said happened to her and the other women she said were victimized, and for dragging out the investigation.

It’s an odd claim, as Wilson pointed out. According to reports, the local authorities where the accused men live could not confirm the alleged crimes had been reported in those locations. SLED was contacted by Capitol police.

There’s no reason for Wilson to be involved at this stage, unless SLED wasn’t doing its job, for which Mace also presented no evidence.

Mace turned a speech about alleged sex trafficking into a spectacle. She stuck a red “survivor” sticker on her chest, had others seated behind her do the same. And she held up a pair of handcuffs, daring anyone to arrest her for speaking out — though she had to know she is protected from criminal and civil charges like slander related to her remarks because she spoke from the House floor.

I couldn’t help but remember she supported a man for president who was found civilly liable for sexual abuse, faced several other ugly allegations, and bragged about casually sexually assaulting women.

She also wanted a man whose House colleagues said there’s evidence he had sex with an underage girl — which would be statutory rape — and paid other young women to have sex and exploited them in other ways, to be the nation’s top law enforcement official.

Mace has spent her four years in national politics talking up a desire to help girls and young women while acting in ways that contradict that goal. That’s why her speech is so hard to process.

That’s why I’ll wait to see the evidence before jumping to conclusions. We all should.

This story was originally published February 12, 2025 at 6:00 AM.