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Post & Courier front page: Mace strategist testified she asked him to 'blackmail' her former fiancé

On May 23, 2025, The Post and Courier's front-page lead reported sworn deposition testimony by Rep. Nancy Mace's former campaign strategist, Wesley Donehue, who said the congresswoman asked him to blackmail her former fiancé over two jointly held homes. Mace's office disputed the characterization 'blackmail.'

The Post and Courier front page, Friday, May 23, 2025: the lead COURTS story, 'Ex-Mace strategist testifies congresswoman asked him to blackmail her former fiance,' by Caitlin Byrd
Photo: The Post and Courier (print front page, May 23, 2025) / reporting by Caitlin Byrd. Source

On May 23, 2025, The Post and Courier put sworn deposition testimony from Rep. Nancy Mace's former campaign strategist, Wesley Donehue, on its front page. It did not run as an online-only item: it was the above-the-fold "COURTS" lead of Charleston's paper of record that morning, reported by Caitlin Byrd.

The Post and Courier front page, Friday, May 23, 2025: the lead COURTS story, 'Ex-Mace strategist testifies congresswoman asked him to blackmail her former fiance,' by Caitlin Byrd The Post and Courier, front page, Friday, May 23, 2025. Caitlin Byrd's deposition report ran as the above-the-fold "COURTS" lead. Credit: The Post and Courier.

The article reported Donehue's testimony that Mace asked him to pressure her former fiancé into surrendering full ownership of two jointly held homes, threatening to use images she said she had found on his phone as leverage. Asked under oath whether the request made him uncomfortable, Donehue described it in his own words:

"you used the word 'blackmail.' That was actually a word I was using, too... literally said, you know, 'Like she's asking me to blackmail someone.'... asking me [to] do something that I thought was illegal."

The deposition testimony is attributed to Wesley Donehue; Mace's office disputed the characterization "blackmail." The underlying allegations are contested and are the subject of ongoing civil litigation.

Source: Post & Courier · archived