Nancy Mace's Ex-Staffers Claim She Asked Them to Make 'Burner Accounts' on Social Media to Hype Her
South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace's former staffers spoke out about her alleged strange behavior in a new report from WIRED.
Several past staffers claim that they were asked to create burner accounts on social media to monitor comments about Mace and even reply, "saying things that weren't true," in order to boost her image.
The reporting, which Mace's office dismissed as "laughable," comes one week after the congresswoman shocked her colleagues by reportedly showing an image of her naked body during a House subcommittee meeting.Former staffers of South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace are accusing the controversial congresswoman of making some questionable requests of her team.
In a new report from WIRED, several past staffers spoke out against Mace, 47, under the condition of anonymity in order to avoid retaliation from their former boss. Mace's office dismissed the report as "laughable" when reached for comment by PEOPLE.
Some of the former workers alleged to WIRED that the Republican lawmaker would frequently monitor her image on social media, even creating bots to post in support of her. She allegedly also asked staffers to create fake profiles on social media in order to keep an eye on discourse and boost her online image.
'We had to make multiple accounts, burner accounts, and go and reply to comments, saying things that weren't true—even Reddit forums,' a former staffer claimed. 'We were congressional staff, and there were actual things we could be doing to help the constituents.'
The congresswoman, once a self-described 'never Trumper,' has become one of the president's most outspoken allies in Congress during his second term. She has touted her tech expertise as a member of the House subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation.
In fact, WIRED's sources claimed, Mace would often describe herself as a 'self-taught coder.'
'I would say [it was] at least a weekly comment, if not daily,' another said of the congresswoman's tech boasting.
PEOPLE asked Mace's office for comment on the WIRED report, to which spokesperson Sydney Long sarcastically warned that her response would have to be short. "I would give you an additional comment but we're too busy creating burner accounts, according to former staff," she prefaced.
Long's official statement read, "As Congresswoman Mace's Communications Director, I can say with complete confidence: I've never been asked to create a burner account, and the suggestion is laughable."
The latest reporting from WIRED comes just one week after Mace's latest buzzy appearance on Capitol Hill. Just five months into the congressional term, she has already come under fire for yelling trans slurs on the House floor, hurling profanity at a constituent in an Ulta store, and threatening a fellow congresswoman to "take it outside" during a heated exchange.
And most recently, Mace shocked colleagues by showing what she said was a screenshot of her "naked body" during a House subcommittee hearing.
On May 20, Mace delivered a speech at a hearing for the House Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation Subcommittee, titled 'Breach of Trust: Surveillance in Private Spaces."
During the speech, Mace — who accused her former fiancé, Patrick Bryant, and three other men of rape and sexual misconduct in a nearly hour-long speech on the House floor on Feb. 10 — recalled an alleged incident in which she said Bryant set up a "secret camera" without her knowledge.
Speaking in front of a black and white screenshot, Mace pointed out the silhouette of a body circled in yellow standing on the right side of the screen.
'Behind me is a screenshot from one of the videos I found of myself. The yellow circle, this naked silhouette, is my naked body," she claimed. 'I didn't know that I had been filmed. I didn't give my consent. I didn't give my permission."
The congresswoman went on to claim that her ex had secretly filmed her and saved the video "for over three years," allegedly without her knowing. She also claimed that he had filmed other women "without their knowledge, without their permission, and without their consent."
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Bryant has repeatedly denied Mace's allegations. Following her May 20 remarks, he shared a statement on Facebook, insisting, "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."
"My mistake was loving and trusting someone who later weaponized our relationship," he continued. "Nancy Mace made these claims only while standing in Congress, purportedly shielded by legal immunity. 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."
Bryant's statement concluded, "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."
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