Part of: The House Ethics reimbursement investigation (2025-2026) · House Ethics Committee Investigation of Rep. Nancy Mace (OCC Review 25-5681)
House Ethics to investigate Mace on reimbursement practices
Roll Call's same-day Washington-bureau confirmation that the House Ethics Committee had opened a formal investigation into Mace's reimbursement practices, amplifying the Post and Courier's reporting for a DC-insider audience.
Editorial Board ·
"House Ethics to investigate Mace on reimbursement practices"
- Roll Call, March 2, 2026
Roll Call, the Capitol Hill trade publication read by congressional staff, members, and lobbyists, confirmed on the same day as the Post and Courier's breaking story that the House Ethics Committee had opened a formal investigation into Mace's housing and food reimbursement practices.
The Roll Call confirmation carried particular weight for a Washington audience that follows congressional procedure closely. An Ethics Committee investigation, as opposed to a preliminary OCC referral, represents a formal escalation with subpoena power and public accountability mechanisms.
The Post and Courier's Caitlin Byrd had reported earlier that day that, per the OCC report, the Office of Congressional Conduct found "substantial reason to believe" Mace had allegedly overbilled the taxpayer-funded Member Representational Allowance for both housing (nearly $9,500 in excess claims tied to her Capitol Hill townhouse) and meals (more than $9,400). According to the same reporting, the OCC report stated that Mace refused to cooperate with its probe. "Substantial reason to believe" is a preliminary OCC finding, not an adjudication of wrongdoing.
Together, the Post and Courier and Roll Call coverage ensured the story broke simultaneously for national and DC-insider audiences, and the Washington Post followed with a third companion piece the next day.
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Caitlin Byrd reported the Office of Congressional Conduct found 'substantial reason to believe' Mace improperly claimed nearly $9,500 in excess housing reimbursements tied to her $1.6 million Capitol Hill townhouse, also billing over $9,400 for food. Mace refused to cooperate with the OCC probe; her lawyer called the report 'fundamentally flawed.'
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After records showed she still hadn't paid ethics fine, Rep. Mace says she 'cut a check this week'
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December 20, 2023 · DispatchEditorial: Don't slash SC ethics fines; kick deadbeats off the ballot
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Nick Reynolds reported that the S.C. House Ethics Committee voted unanimously on December 14, 2023 to reduce Mace's $16,700 in unpaid state campaign-finance fines to just $1,200 -- 7 percent of what she owed -- after she filed an appeal citing financial hardship, COVID-era family health issues, and death threats. Mace earns a $174,000 congressional salary and, with her partner, had purchased a $3.9 million Isle of Palms home. Committee members noted she had ignored repeated outreach for years.
December 14, 2023 · DispatchSC's Nancy Mace owes $1,200 in ethics fees after legislators reduce her tab
Jessica Holdman reported that the S.C. House Ethics Committee voted unanimously to reduce Mace's $16,700 in state campaign-finance fines to $1,200. The fines had first surfaced in P&C reporting in 2021, resurfaced as a 2022 campaign issue, and sat unaddressed for years despite repeated staff outreach. Mace closed her campaign account in late November by donating $3,800 to a domestic abuse shelter and writing off $11,200 as accounting errors.
October 5, 2023 · DispatchWatchdog Wants Nancy Mace Probed for Soliciting Cash on Fox
Justin Baragona reported on Campaign for Accountability's October 2023 OCE complaint against Mace for allegedly soliciting campaign donations while standing in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda during a Fox Business appearance, a practice that may violate federal law.