Republican Representative Nancy Mace has responded to her ex-fiancé’s denials after sharing a still of what she described was her “naked silhouette” from a video Mace said he filmed without her consent.
Patrick Bryant, who was Mace’s fiancé until 2023, said in a statement on Tuesday that he “categorically” denies “false and outrageous” claims made by Mace, and that he would do “whatever is necessary and appropriate” to clear his name “at the right time.”
Mace responded to Bryant’s statement on X, where she wrote: “If you aren’t a rapist, why would you film a rape and why would you be filmed raping another?”
She added that “dozens of women filmed, recorded and stored on your devices for years would like to know why.”
Newsweek has contacted Mace for further comment via email.
The Context
Mace first accused Bryant, a Charleston-area businessman, of physical abuse and recording sex acts with her and others without consent in a speech on the House floor in February.
She also alleged that Bryant and three other men engaged in acts of rape and sexual misconduct, and accused South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson of failing to act after she provided photos and video to state authorities.
The four men have repeatedly denied wrongdoing. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has confirmed that Bryant is under investigation but has not provided additional details about the nature of the inquiry.
What To Know
Mace shared the nude image of herself during a Tuesday hearing titled “Breach of Trust: Surveillance in Private Spaces” for the House Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation Subcommittee, which Mace chairs.
“This naked silhouette is my naked body. I didn’t know that I had been filmed. I didn’t give my consent,” she said. “I didn’t give my permission and this particular video that Patrick Bryant recorded of me on his secret camera, he saved for over three years without my knowledge.”
Bryant issued a statement while the hearing was underway.
“I categorically deny the false and outrageous claims made by Nancy Mace. I have never raped anyone. I have never hidden cameras. I have never harmed any woman. These accusations are not just false. They are malicious and deeply personal,” he said in the statement provided to FITSNews, a South Carolina news website.
“My mistake was loving and trusting someone who later weaponized our relationship.”
Bryant accused Mace of making her claims “only while standing in Congress, purportedly shielded by legal immunity.”
He added: “If she believed them to be true and there was evidence to support her accusations, she would say them outside the chamber, away from her public role and protections, and pursue them through proper legal channels. She has not done so, because she cannot.”
He also said that “multiple witnesses” have provided statements and testified under oath “directly contradicting her claims and story,” and accused Mace of interfering with the ongoing SLED investigation.
What People Are Saying
Mace said in a post on X after Tuesday’s hearing: “Today I exposed a monster whose victims deserve justice. The victims also deserve stronger federal and state laws to protect them. To other potential victims, I want you to know, ‘I have your back.’ I would run through a brick wall to protect women and girls in South Carolina.”
Bryant’s statement also said: “Her allegations are absolutely baseless. And, I will, at the right time, do whatever is necessary and appropriate to clear my name, to prove my integrity, and to restore my reputation in the community.”
What’s Next
Legal battles that have come from Mace’s allegations are ongoing.
Mace is facing a defamation lawsuit brought by one of the men she accused, filed in federal court in South Carolina.
An attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Carolina told the court he would be representing Mace, suggesting he will claim her speech is protected under a clause in the Constitution that shields members from legal actions or penalties for statements made in the course of their official duties.
Mace has sued Eric Bowman, another of the men she accused, for defamation.
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