US Lawmaker Nancy Mace Shares Nude Photo Of Herself During Hearing, Calls Ex-Fiancé 'Rapist'
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The incident unfolded during a House Oversight Committee session where Nancy Mace was advocating for stronger laws against video voyeurism.
In a dramatic and shocking scene, US' Republican lawmaker Nancy Mace showcased an alleged nude photo of herself during a congressional hearing, claiming it was secretly snapped without her consent by her former fiancé Patrick Bryant.
The incident unfolded during a House Oversight Committee session where Mace was advocating for stronger laws against video voyeurism.
While recounting her experience as a victim of what she described as non-consensual filming and sex crimes, the lawmaker revealed a poster behind her, featuring a blurred black-and-white screenshot of what she alleged was footage secretly taken of her in a private home. A yellow circle highlighted the figure she identified as herself.
'Freedom is not a theory – it's the right to sleep without someone's camera filming your naked body. I speak not just as a lawmaker, but as a survivor," the South Carolina Congresswoman said.
'Today I will show my naked body on one of the videos predator and rapist Patrick Bryant took of me and many other women," Mace declared in a post on X (formerly Twitter) just before the hearing. 'Without our knowledge. Without our permission. And without our consent," Mace said in a post on X prior to hearing.
She also held up additional visuals, a photo of the alleged hidden camera location, a group picture featuring her ex, and images of other women she said were also victims, their identities blurred out.
The lawmaker has accused Bryant, of not only secretly filming her but also of committing serious sexual offences, including rape and abuse – allegations he has categorically denied.
Bryant Denies Allegations
In a statement released Tuesday, Bryant called the claims 'false and outrageous," saying he 'categorically denies" any wrongdoing and will 'take additional steps to clear [his] name at the right time."
'I categorically deny the false and outrageous claims made by Nancy Mace," Bryant said in a statement. 'I have never raped anyone. I have never hidden cameras. These accusations are malicious and deeply personal," he said.
The South Carolina Republican has previously spoken out about being a rape survivor and used Tuesday's hearing to amplify her call for stronger privacy protections
Bryant claimed Mace was leveraging her congressional role to make legally protected accusations from the House floor. He further said that Mace was allegedly using the Speech and Debate Clause of the US Constitution to shield herself from potential lawsuits, as this clause grants lawmakers immunity for statements made in their official capacity.
'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," he said.
Earlier in February, the South Carolina Republican had publicly spoken about her allegations. In a speech, she had claimed to have discovered incriminating evidence in a safe and on a phone belonging to her former partner.
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