Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) finally seemed to show some semblance of empathy — but critics aren’t buying it.
A handful of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims gathered in Washington, D.C., Tuesday for a closed-door meeting with members of the Oversight Committee who are investigating the federal government’s handling of the late sex trafficker’s case. Mace, who is a member of the committee, was shown leaving the meeting early and appeared visibly upset while wiping away tears.
In a video of the moment, the Republican can be seen shaking her head “no” as a reporter asks her a question.
Although the South Carolina congresswoman didn’t want to speak with reporters at the time, she later explained her emotional departure on her X account.
“As a recent survivor (not 2 years in), I had a very difficult time listening to their stories,” Mace wrote. “Full blown panic attack. Sweating. Hyperventilating. Shaking. I can’t breathe.”
Mace added, “I feel the immense pain of how hard all victims are fighting for themselves because we know absolutely no one will fight for us. GOD BLESS ALL SURVIVORS.”
In February, Mace gave an hourlong speech on the House floor in which she accused four men — including ex-fiancé Patrick Bryant — of drugging, raping and filming her and other women without their consent. All four men have denied the allegations, with one suing Mace for defamation.
“I rise today to call out the cowards who think they can prey on women and get away with it,” Mace said at the time. “Today, I’m going scorched earth. So let the bridges I burn this evening light our way forward.”
Whether or not Mace’s horrific sexual abuse allegations are true, there is one glaring flaw in the far-right politician’s stance in regards to Epstein’s victims — her unyielding loyalty to President Donald Trump.
In 2023, Trump was found liable in a civil trial for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. The judge added at the time that, while jurors stopped short of saying Trump committed rape, his actions fell within the common definition of the word.
This is by no means the only time a woman has aimed sexual misconduct allegations squarely at the former reality TV star, who famously said in a 2005 recording that he can grab women “by the pussy” because he is a celebrity.
In fact, so many women have publicly accused the president of sexual misconduct that HuffPost compiled a list in 2017 that features the names and allegations of 25 women and spans decades.
Adding to the cognitive dissonance in Mace’s apparent compassion for survivors of Epstein’s abuse is Trump’s connection to the convicted sex predator. Trump denies engaging in the abuse the disgraced financier inflicted on so many young women, but he and his administration have been awfully weird about transparently releasing the entirety of Epstein’s case files to the public — possibly because Trump’s name reportedly comes up repeatedly in the material linked to the case.
Late Tuesday, the Oversight Committee announced it had made thousands of Epstein documents publicly available, though it posted them in a cumbersome Google Drive folder and most of the material had already been made public.
Considering that Mace previously showed zero empathy toward victims of other abuses, when critics on X initially saw the video of Mace crying Tuesday, many suspected her tears were of the crocodile variety.
Critics on X weren’t feeling Mace’s explanation about her emotional outburst, either. Many felt that her leaving the meeting early was emblematic of her inability to do her job properly.
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.