South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace accused four men, including her ex-fiancé, of rape, sexual misconduct and physical abuse during a fiery speech on the House floor Monday.
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call out the cowards who think they can prey on women and get away with it,” Mace said at the top of her nearly hour-long remarks. “Today, I’m going scorched Earth, so let the bridges I burn this evening light our way forward.”
Watch the speech, via the congresswoman’s X account, below:
The Republican congresswoman detailed the alleged acts as the “most heinous crimes against women imaginable.”
“We’re talking about rape, non-consensual photos, consensual videos of women and underage girls, and the premeditated, calculated exploitation of women and girls in my district,” Mace said.
The four men Mace named were former Charleston Battery soccer team owner, Eric Bowman; her ex-fiancé Patrick Bryant; and Bryant’s alleged business partners John Osborne and Brian Musgrave. Mace claimed that she discovered thousands of photos that were taken with hidden cameras as well as recordings that show the “predators” made while sexually assaulting women over the years. During her speech, she also displayed images of all the men she named.
As it pertains to her experience with Bryant, she accused him of “physically” assaulting her toward the end of their relationship, when it ended in 2023. The pair got engaged in 2022. During her remarks, she also stated that she obtained videos and photos of Bryant’s alleged assaults from his phone, including one incident of a woman she said he secretly filmed while she was nude.
“None of you will get away with it,” Mace said. “None of you will because tonight is about justice for all of the women that you all raped, that you all filmed, that you all photographed, that you all abused for years … You’ve booked yourself a one-way ticket to hell. It is nonstop. There are no connections. So I and all of your victims can watch you rot into eternity.”
Bryant, Bowman, Musgrave and Osborne have all denied the allegations.
“I categorically deny these allegations. I take this matter seriously and will cooperate fully with any necessary legal processes to clear my name,” Bryant said in a statement to media.
Bowman said: “I unequivocally deny all the allegations made against me which are baseless, repugnant and defamatory.”
In a text message, Musgrave said: “Nancy Mace’s statement tonight is a dangerous mix of falsehoods and baseless accusations, recklessly leveled at four individuals without a shred of evidence … Her continued pattern of making inflammatory claims without proof is not only reckless but a blatant attempt to weaponize the legal system for political and personal gain. This will be my only statement until I have consulted counsel.”
In addition, Mace also called out South Carolina attorney general Alan Wilson for allegedly failing to address and ultimately prosecute the men after being given evidence of said crimes. Wilson’s office called the accusations “categorically false” and “politically motivated.”
“Recent statements made by Congresswoman Nancy Mace regarding the conduct of the South Carolina Attorney General are categorically false,” Wilson’s office wrote in a statement. “Ms. Mace either does not understand or is purposefully mischaracterizing the role of the Attorney General. At this time, our office has not received any reports or requests for assistance from any law enforcement or prosecution agencies regarding these matters. Additionally, the Attorney General and members of his office have had no role and no knowledge of these allegations until her public statements.”
Both Mace and Wilson are gearing up to run for the governor of South Carolina in 2026.
The statement continued: “Congresswoman Mace and the Attorney General have been at multiple events together over the last six months. She also has the Attorney General’s personal cellphone number. Not once has she approached or reached out to him regarding any of her concerns. “
After her speech, Mace took to X to share her final thoughts on the matter.
“God placed this burden in my path … To make sure these women will never be forgotten and the men who hurt them will never be allowed to hide again,” Mace said.
On Monday night, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) shared that it has launched an investigation into the Mace’s allegations.
“SLED opened an investigation regarding allegations of assault, harassment and voyeurism on Dec. 14, 2023, after being contacted by the United States Capitol Police,” SLED spokesperson Renee Wunderlich said in a statement. “Since that date SLED has conducted multiple interviews, served multiple search warrants, and has a well-documented case file that will be available for release upon the conclusion of the case.”