South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson says shocking allegations of sexual abuse made by GOP congresswoman Nancy Mace against four men were never referred to his office.
The South Carolina representative accused her ex-fiancé Patrick Bryant and three business of his associates of sex crimes – including rape and voyeurism – in a nearly hour-long speech on the House floor on Monday.
Mace, 47, branded Wilson a “do-nothing” and claimed he failed to act on her accusations after allegedly having “turned over everything” she found.
“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?,” she said.
A spokesperson for Wilson’s office said in response that Mace’s attack was “categorically false”.
It clarified that a police report would need to be formally filed and an investigation launched before it was referred to state prosecutors.
“At this time, our office has not received any reports or requests for assistance from any law enforcement or prosecution agencies regarding these matters,” Wilson’s office said in a statement.
“Additionally, the attorney general and members of his office have had no role and no knowledge of these allegations until her public statements.”
The AG’s office also stated that Mace had several opportunities to raise her concerns with Wilson over the last six months.
The statement continued: “Congresswoman Mace and the Attorney General have been at multiple events together over the last six months [and has his] personal cellphone number. Not once has she approached or reached out to him regarding any of her concerns.”
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division also confirmed it opened an investigation into Bryant regarding allegations of assault, harassment and voyeurism on December 14, 2023, after being contacted by the United States Capitol Police.
“This active and ongoing investigation is complex and has involved multiple lawyers. Once the investigation is completed, it will be sent to a prosecutor for review,” it said in a statement.
In her speech in the lower chamber, Mace claimed she had discovered a digital cache of more than 10,000 videos and photos that showed Bryant and his business associates physically abusing numerous women, including herself.
“I accidentally uncovered some of the most heinous crimes against women imaginable,” she alleged. “We are talking about rape, nonconsensual photos, non-consensual videos of women and underage girls, and the premeditated, calculated, exploitation of women and girls in my district.”
In another plea, she added: “To the men watching, their next victim could be your daughter, your sister, your wife," Mace said. "To the women watching tonight, their next victim could be you.”
The conservative firebrand claimed she found a video of a naked woman who was not aware she was being filmed, only to realize the woman was her.
“I was horrified. I was humiliated. I was violated,” Mace said.
Mace further alleged that the files she found included numerous non-consensual images, such as “upskirt photos,” as well as sexual assault.
The congresswoman did not present any evidence, while Bryant denies all allegations of wrongdoing.
"I take this matter seriously, and will cooperate fully with any necessary legal processes to clear my name," Bryant told The New York Times.
Members of Congress have legal immunity for anything they say “within the legislative sphere,” indicating that Mace may be protected from lawsuits over her remarks.
Since her election in 2021, Mace has been vocal about her past experiences of rape and sexual assault.
She has pitched herself as a defender of women's rights even as she supported restrictions on abortion and campaigned for Donald Trump, who was found liable for sexual abuse in a civil trial.
In recent months she has pushed to ban trans people from public bathrooms corresponding to their lived gender, at one point repeatedly shouting the slur "tr***y" in a House hearing.
In November, Mace won a third term in the House. Both Mace and Wilson are now mulling gubernatorial runs.
In recent weeks, the lawmaker has derided Wilson — who is serving his fourth term as South Carolina’s AG — and questioned his ability to fulfil the roles of the state’s top prosecutor.
“He has no business even thinking about running for governor, and I will take him out,” Mace said in a social media tirade. “I will personally make sure that he is never governor of South Carolina.”
She also repeated her remark that Wilson is a “do-nothing attorney general”.
In response to the attacks, Wilson’s office said: “It is clear that Attorney General Alan Wilson has built his career on protecting the most vulnerable in our state; any statement otherwise is blatantly false and politically motivated.”
The Independent contacted Mace’s and Wilson’s offices for more information.
