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Part of: The 'tranny' slur at House Oversight (Feb. 5, 2025) · DEI & 'Gender Madness' · Transgender & LGBTQ Policy

HuffPost

Rep. Nancy Mace Threatens Media For Reporting On Handshake She Says Was Assault

After media reported eyewitnesses contradicted Mace's assault account of the McIntyre incident, Mace went on far-right media to threaten defamation suits against any outlet that questioned her version of events, a threat that was itself widely covered as an attempt to intimidate journalists.

Ryan Grenoble ·

Rep. Nancy Mace Threatens Media For Reporting On Handshake She Says Was Assault, HuffPost
Photo: HuffPost. Source

"That is defamation. And so I would be walking on eggshells if I were you."

, Rep. Nancy Mace, addressing media outlets that reported eyewitness accounts of the McIntyre incident

Ryan Grenoble reported for HuffPost on Mace's appearance on far-right media in December 2024, during which she threatened defamation suits against any outlet that reported eyewitnesses had contradicted her account of being "physically accosted" by foster-care advocate James McIntyre at a Capitol event.

Three witnesses had told reporters that McIntyre had simply extended a handshake and asked Mace to support trans youth, not the aggressive physical confrontation Mace described. Rather than address that discrepancy publicly, Mace issued a warning to the press:

"I have a warning for any media outlet that says I wrongly, falsely accused this guy of physically accosting me, of assaulting me."

The threat itself became the story. Press-freedom observers and media reporters noted the unusual nature of a sitting congresswoman warning outlets against publishing witness accounts that differed from her own. The charge against McIntyre was dropped by prosecutors in April 2025; Mace responded to the dismissal with a statement reading "I filed charges, and they were inexplicably ignored. But I will not be. I will not back down."

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