Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) accused several men – including her former fiancé – of sex crimes against women and children during a lengthy speech on the House floor Monday night.
Mace also accused her state’s top law enforcement official, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson of slow-walking an investigation into the men, which his office later denied.
The congresswoman said four men from her district engaged in sexual human trafficking, rape, voyeurism, and other crimes.
“In November 2023, I accidentally uncovered some of the most heinous crimes against women imaginable,” she said. “We’re talking about rape, nonconsensual photos, nonconsensual videos of women and underage girls, and the premeditated, calculated exploitation of women and girls in my district.”
Mace said she had evidence of the alleged crimes in the forms of images, videos, and metadata. She said:
These men didn’t just harm their victims. They recorded their depravity as if it were a badge of honor. When I uncovered evidence of rape and the illegal filming of women and sex trafficking, I didn’t just see victims. I saw a system that failed to protect them. I saw criminals who thought they could get away with it because no one had the guts, no one had the courage, no one had the bravery to hold them accountable, because we are filled with cowards.
I will burn this system to the ground if I have to. These men aren’t just criminals, they are predators, and you can see the names in the faces of these predators on this board to my right tonight, these predators are not untouchable. These predators are not invisible, and these predators are not invincible, and today, their names will be tied to their crimes and their cowardice forever. Let me say their names for the record in alphabetical order.
Mace named the men in her speech as alleged perpetrators of an organized rape scheme. She said she stumbled across evidence of women and girls who had been raped while unconscious. She said she was also a victim.
She said she came forward to raise awareness about an epidemic of sexual assault and rape:
It’s not a problem confined to one race, it’s not a problem confined to one religion. It’s not a problem confined to one socio-economic class. It’s not someone else’s problem. It is our problem we must face domestic violence, sexual assault, rape and sex trafficking with courage. We must face it with clarity, and we must face it with compassion. We must also face it with hardcore justice.
While referring to Wilson, Mace said:
Women who come forward in your system are treated like criminals under your leadership, in your system and on your watch. Attorney General Allen Wilson, you know there were deliberate delays in an investigation. And what I turned over 228 days of delay. And you know this, 228 days of delay, that’s seven months, two weeks and four days of delay to investigate. Once again, today, you are kicking the can down the road, like you always do.
Wilson’s office issued a statement Monday night disputing Mace’s allegations against him. His office said he had not been contacted by any law enforcement agencies regarding Mace’s allegations.
Before her speech, Mace told reporters her statements would be covered by the Speech and Debate Clause, which insulates members of Congress from criminal prosecutions and lawsuits – such as defamation complaints – relating to what they say during their legislative duties.
Watch Mace’s speech in its entirety above via the congresswoman’s X page.
