Tequila, marijuana, and 'rape' photos: Nancy Mace's career in freefall after wild 'scorched earth' war
Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace is leaving Washington at the end of the year, but several of her former staffers think she should quit politics for good.
Numerous former members of Team Mace who spoke with New York Magazine shared harrowing tales of working for the South Carolinian, who has heralded her journey, from a Waffle House waitress to the first woman to graduate from the Citadel to a US Representative, as a prime case of the American Dream.
Their stories paint working for her as more of a nightmare.
'Look, when I worked for her, our poor scheduler was getting calls at two o'clock in the morning to bring her bottles of tequila,' one former staffer told the NY Mag.
Alcohol was not the only substance Mace allegedly used, with multiple staffers also noting her cannabis use, described by some as 'excessive.'
Another staffer claims they were allegedly instructed by Mace to look up forums on the social media site Reddit that ranked the 'hottest women in Congress' and to raise her standing with comments and 'upvotes.'
Last year, Mace took to the House Floor to levy allegations of 'secretly filming her, physically assaulting her, and engaging in a conspiracy to drug, rape, and film other women,' against her ex-fiancé, Patrick Bryant.
During that speech, Mace also proclaimed she was going 'scorched earth' on Bryant and three of his partners while sharing that she had found photos of a naked teenager on his phone, as well as videos of a naked woman.
As Nancy Mace campaigns for South Carolina governor, allegations of brash behavior have been raised against her. She described a NY Mag article detailing the claims as a 'hit piece'
Mace's breach over the Epstein files makes it less likely that she will get Trump's support
Her former staff, however, viewed that floor speech as a sign that she needed serious mental help.
'Looking at the floor speech and what went on there, it's very clear that that was the breaking point to me,' the former staffer told NY Mag.
'Because you've now gone from standing up for people - whether rightfully, wrongfully, performative or not - you were on this mission, and now this is about you. The whole frame shifted, and she centered herself in it all. That's when it became apparent to me that this is broken,' the staffer added.
Ahead of the story's publication, Mace went on offense, taking the 'hit piece' as a badge of honor.
'As NY Mag publishes the next national hit piece against me tomorrow, the establishment doesn't go after people who fall in line. They go after people who don't,' Mace stated in a Sunday evening post to her X account.
'I'll take that as a compliment. When you stand for something, you make enemies. I've never let that stop me from doing my job - and I'm not starting now,' Mace also argued in her own defense.
As Mace campaigns for South Carolina governor, other allegations of brash behavior have also been raised against her.
A police report filed by the Charleston County Aviation Authority Police last fall alleged that Mace, a Republican Congresswoman and candidate for governor, was scheduled to receive an escort from her curbside drop-off point straight to her flight at 6:30am.
This grab from a video made public by the Charleston County Aviation Authority appears to show Mace berating an airport staff member
Mace is seen here in an undated photograph in a swimsuit and with a glass in her hand
Mace and her former fiancé, Patrick Bryant
Video footage released by the airport shows Mace arriving later than planned, and then not having security waiting for her at the allegedly agreed-upon meeting spot.
The report also alleges that Mace was 'very irate' and used derogatory and profane language toward the staff.
Former US Congressman from South Carolina and current Fox News host Trey Gowdy unleashed an unforgiving description of Mace shortly after the incident, when she was captured on video berating staff at the Charleston Airport.
Gowdy described Mace as 'an apoplectic congresswoman having a psychotic episode in Charleston at an airport.'
Former staff are not the only enemies Mace has made in Washington, as her list of opponents even includes President Donald Trump himself.
MAGA House Republicans - including Representatives Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who resigned her seat at the start of this year, and Mace went rogue against Trump and signed the petition to discharge the Epstein files last summer.
In a crowded GOP primary field, Trump's endorsement will loom large, but Mace's breach over the Epstein files makes it less likely that she will get the President's support.
Mace is currently polling near the top of the list among her primary opponents, with various polls landing her between first and third.
The list of GOP candidates for South Carolina governor currently includes South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette, Attorney General Alan Wilson and Mace's House colleague Ralph Norman.
