The Epstein Files Fight
Full chronology: The Epstein Files gathers every statement, vote, and filing in this saga in order, each linked to its source.
Rep. Nancy Mace's eleven-month campaign to force the release of Jeffrey Epstein's files began as a bipartisan legislative effort and ended as a collision with the Trump administration that, by her own account, cost her the 2026 South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary.
July, September 2025, The bill and the petition. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced H.R. 4405 on July 15, 2025. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) filed a discharge petition on September 2, forcing a floor vote over leadership's objection. Mace was one of four Republicans to sign. On September 2 she also left a closed-door Oversight Committee briefing with Epstein victims early, posting on X that she was having "a full blown panic attack." Trump publicly warned signers off; Mace refused to back down.
November 13, 2025, Defying pressure. With the petition over 218 signatures, Mace publicly confirmed she had signed and would not withdraw: "I signed the discharge petition. I was one of four Republicans to do so."
November 18, 2025, The vote. The House passed H.R. 4405 427-1 (Higgins, R-LA, lone no). Mace on the floor: "Today is a historic day for every survivor across the country."
February 2026, DOJ reviews and escalating demands. Mace visited the Justice Department to review unredacted files, afterward declaring "your days are numbered" to named individuals and describing the files as containing redacted co-conspirator information. She disclosed that DOJ systems were tracking which files members opened, "It's creepy", and pressed the DOJ to explain why files had been pulled from its public website. In separate letters she demanded the unredacted SDNY co-conspirator memorandum and CIA disclosures about any relationship with Epstein. She also demanded that Bill Gates testify before Oversight under oath. (Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.)
On February 15, when AG Pam Bondi claimed all files had been released, Mace flatly rejected that claim on X: "This isn't going away until people go to jail." On February 24 she said on NewsNation that terabytes of data remained withheld.
March 2026, Clinton deposition and the Bondi subpoena. On March 3, the Oversight Committee released video of Hillary Clinton's deposition; Mace participated in the questioning, and the exchange drew wide coverage. (Neither Hillary nor Bill Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.) On March 4, Oversight voted 24-19 to subpoena AG Bondi on Mace's motion; Mace called the Epstein case "one of the greatest cover-ups in American history." A second subpoena targeting congressional sexual-harassment settlements passed committee the same day but was later killed on a 357-65 House floor vote.
April 2026, Bondi fired. When Trump fired Bondi on April 2, Mace said she had "stonewalled every effort" to hold the guilty accountable. Mace also commended First Lady Melania Trump for advocating for Epstein survivors.
May, June 2026, The political reckoning. On May 29, Trump endorsed Mace's rival Pam Evette instead of her. Mace posted on X: "I voted to release the Epstein files. NO REGRETS." On CNN on June 7 she said: "If the price of an endorsement was to not vote to release the Epstein files, that is a price I am unwilling to pay." On June 9, she finished fifth (~12.1%) in the SC Republican gubernatorial primary and conceded: "I voted to release the Epstein files and lost some support for that." Massie (KY) and Boebert/Greene also faced political costs; Massie said: "Boebert, Greene and Mace have paid an enormous price for doing the right thing."
Sources: Congress.gov H.R. 4405 · Newsweek (Nov. 2025) · NPR (Nov. 18, 2025) · CNBC, Bondi subpoena (Mar. 4, 2026) · The Hill, Trump endorses Evette (May 29, 2026) · Washington Times, Epstein crusade (Jun. 10, 2026) · See also The Epstein Files and /wiki/epstein for the full narrative.
On the Record
Mace tweet: 'Full blown panic attack' after leaving Epstein victims briefing early
On September 2, 2025, Mace posted on X explaining she had left an Oversight Committee briefing with Epstein victims early, describing a panic attack she said was triggered by listening to their accounts.
Mace defies Trump pressure: "I was one of four Republicans" to sign the Epstein petition
On November 13, 2025, Mace publicly confirmed she had signed the discharge petition to force release of the Epstein files, standing firm after Trump pressured Republican signers to back down.
"A historic day for every survivor": Mace on the House floor as the Epstein files bill passes 427-1
On November 18, 2025, the House passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act 427-1. Mace, speaking on the floor, called it a historic day for survivors nationwide.
Mace demands Bill Gates testify under oath about his relationship with Epstein
On February 4, 2026, Mace announced a demand that Bill Gates testify before the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
"Your days are numbered": Mace demands release after reviewing unredacted files at DOJ
On February 11, 2026, Mace spoke out after reviewing unredacted Epstein files at the DOJ, warning that princes, former presidents, and billionaires named in the records would be held accountable.
"It's creepy": Mace says DOJ is tracking which Epstein files members of Congress open
On February 11, 2026, Mace said the DOJ was monitoring which Epstein files members of Congress opened and when, calling the surveillance of congressional access "creepy."
Mace demands DOJ explain why Epstein files were pulled from its public site
On February 12, 2026, Mace pressed the DOJ to explain why Epstein files had been removed from its public website, warning that one accomplice could not account for thousands of victims.
"This isn't going away until people go to jail": Mace rejects Bondi's claim all files were released
On February 15, 2026, Mace posted a scathing social media thread rejecting AG Pam Bondi's claim that all Epstein files had been released, warning the issue would not go away until people were jailed.
Mace demands the unredacted Epstein co-conspirator memo from SDNY
On February 16, 2026, Mace sent a letter to U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton III demanding the unredacted 2019 SDNY memorandum on Epstein co-conspirators.
Mace presses the CIA on any relationship with Epstein and Maxwell
On February 17, 2026, Mace sent a letter to CIA Director John Ratcliffe demanding disclosure of any relationship between the CIA and Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell.
Mace says DOJ is withholding "terabytes" of Epstein records
On NewsNation on February 24, 2026, Mace said the DOJ had not released all the Epstein files and estimated the withheld material amounted to terabytes of data and potentially millions of documents.
Mace questions Hillary Clinton in released Oversight deposition video
The House Oversight Committee released video of Hillary Clinton's Feb. 26 deposition on March 2, 2026. Mace's questioning, including a heated exchange over Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and 9/11, drew sharply conflicting reviews, with critics saying Clinton bested Mace and Mace's own camp calling Clinton 'unhinged.'
"One of the greatest cover-ups in American history": Oversight subpoenas Bondi on Mace's motion (24-19)
On March 4, 2026, the House Oversight Committee voted 24-19 to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi on Mace's motion, as Mace declared the Epstein case "one of the greatest cover-ups in American history."
Mace's second subpoena targets the congressional sexual-harassment "slush fund"
Also on March 4, 2026, the House Oversight Committee passed Mace's second subpoena, targeting records from the congressional office that paid out sexual-harassment settlements on behalf of members, though the full House later voted 357-65 to refer the matter back to the Ethics Committee, effectively killing it.
Mace after Bondi's firing: "She has stonewalled every effort to hold the guilty accountable"
On April 2, 2026, the day President Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, Mace issued a statement accusing Bondi of handling the Epstein files in a "terrible manner" and stonewalling the committee's accountability efforts.
Mace commends Melania Trump for advocating for Epstein survivors
On April 9, 2026, Mace publicly commended First Lady Melania Trump for her advocacy on behalf of Jeffrey Epstein survivors, a notable alignment with the Trump family even as Mace continued fighting the Justice Department over file releases.
"NO REGRETS": Trump endorses Evette over Mace; Mace ties the snub to her Epstein vote
On May 29, 2026, President Trump endorsed Mace's primary rival Pam Evette for South Carolina governor. Mace responded on X with "NO REGRETS," directly linking the endorsement snub to her vote to release the Epstein files.
Mace on CNN: releasing the Epstein files was "a price I am unwilling to pay" for an endorsement
On CNN on June 7, 2026, days before the South Carolina governor primary, Mace said that if Trump's endorsement required her not to vote to release the Epstein files, it was "a price I am unwilling to pay."
Mace concedes fifth place: "I voted to release the Epstein files and lost some support for that"
On June 9, 2026, after finishing fifth with roughly 12.1 percent of the vote in the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary, Mace said she lost support because of her vote to release the Epstein files and called it a choice made on principle.
"I gave up my political career for that discharge petition. And I would do it all over again."
Opening her Sept. 1, 2026 interview with Tara Palmeri, Rep. Nancy Mace said she gave up her political career for the Epstein victims discharge petition and would do it again. She then confirmed that Trump 'ultimately punished' her for it: 'Oh, 100%.'
"I'm in the files": Mace tells Palmeri she is named in the Epstein files, questions FBI credibility
Rep. Nancy Mace told Tara Palmeri on Sept. 1, 2026 that she is in the Epstein files. When Palmeri raised a Jane Doe connected to Donald Trump, Mace said she believed the FBI 'didn't find it credible,' and added: 'I don't know if we can trust the FBI on this one.' Mace has stated publicly that she appears in the files as a victim, not a perpetrator.
"I know where all the waffles are being cooked": Mar hits Mace with the third Waffle House meme
As Mace tweeted about the Doug Band/Epstein/Clinton disclosures, @Mardabadguy replied with an AI-generated image of Mace in full Waffle House uniform, spatula raised, declaring "I know where all the waffles are being cooked", the third meme in a running series that collapses her Epstein crusade persona into her Waffle House biography.
"I know where all the waffles are being cooked."
As Mace tweeted about the Doug Band/Epstein/Clinton disclosures, Mar (@Mardabadguy) replied with an AI-generated image of Mace in a full Waffle House uniform, spatula in hand, declaring: "I know where all the waffles are being cooked.", a parody of her recurring "I know where all the bodies are buried" Epstein rhetoric.
"It may have ended my political career": Nancy Mace to Chris Cuomo
On NewsNation's CUOMO, two days after Lindsey Graham's death opened a U.S. Senate seat, Nancy Mace said Trump's opposition following her Epstein-files break "may have ended my political career," conceded "I got my butt beat in the governor's race," and, in an answer nominally about ICE, argued that endorsements "do matter, especially in South Carolina." Chris Cuomo urged her on air to run in the special election.
Trump allies say they can 'block Rep. Nancy Mace' from Graham seat appointment
As Nancy Mace's team explored a fast run for the Senate seat left open by Lindsey Graham's death, the sharper signal came from Trump's orbit. Politico reporter Meredith Lee Hill posted that Trump allies said they would be able to 'block Rep. Nancy Mace' from the seat, while Political Wire's excerpt framed it as blocking her from the appointment and privately pointed to her public clashes with Trump. The report landed the same morning Trump said on Meet the Press that he already had 'somebody' in mind for the vacancy, though Gov. Henry McMaster formally controls the interim appointment.
Palmetto Voice ties Mace's foreign-born judge attack to the naturalized-citizens lane
The Palmetto Voice argued that Mace's attack on a foreign-born federal judge after her fifth-place governor primary finish fits a broader pattern that includes her natural-born-only constitutional amendment, criticism of Rom Reddy, and her Trump/Epstein conflict. The outlet's 'defeated and spiraling' frame is commentary, not a Maceopedia finding.
The Palmetto Voice says Mace is 'defeated and spiraling' after attacking a foreign-born judge
The Palmetto Voice published a June 25, 2026 Substack column and Facebook post arguing that Nancy Mace's post-primary attacks on a foreign-born federal judge fit the same pattern as her naturalized-citizens amendment, her criticism of Rom Reddy, and her continuing Trump/Epstein conflict. The outlet's 'defeated and spiraling' framing is its own commentary.
Qnotes frames Mace's anti-trans turn and primary collapse
QnotesCarolinas published a June 25, 2026 political profile connecting Nancy Mace's fifth-place South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary finish to her high-profile anti-transgender campaign, her Trump/Epstein break, the House Ethics/OCC reimbursement referral, and criticism from former staffers and Republicans. The headline and sharper labels are Qnotes' own framing.
Trump endorses both SC runoff candidates: 'These were the two that I was hoping would get into a Runoff'
On June 19, 2026, four days before the June 23 South Carolina Republican gubernatorial runoff, President Trump posted on Truth Social that rather than choose between the two candidates still standing, Lt. Gov. Pam Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson, he would endorse both. He wrote that 'these were the two that I was hoping would get into a Runoff, and they did.' Neither is Nancy Mace, who finished fifth (about 12.1 percent) in the June 9 primary and has said her vote to release the Epstein files cost her Trump's support. The Washington Post had reported on June 16 that Trump was weighing exactly this dual endorsement. Post & Courier reporter Caitlin Byrd surfaced the post.
"We don't have any faith in our justice system": after the loss, Mace recirculates a February Epstein documentary
On June 18, 2026, nine days after conceding fifth place in the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary, Nancy Mace recirculated a clip from Tommy G's February 25, 2026 YouTube documentary on the Epstein files, paired with a post declaring a 'two-tiered system of justice' and 'no faith' that co-conspirators will ever be jailed. The clip is nearly four months old; she surfaced it days after framing her defeat as the price of her Epstein-files vote. This dispatch catalogs the posts as public artifacts and takes no position on Mace's medical or psychological state.
After Mace finishes fifth in the governor's primary, a circulating post-election essay calls her collapse 'years in the making', Mace blames her Epstein-files vote
A post-election essay by writer Mike Broemmel, circulating on Facebook, frames Nancy Mace's fifth-place finish in the June 9, 2026 South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary as the cumulative result of years of staff turnover, feuds and controversy, 'the cumulative effect of chaos.' Mace finished last among the major candidates with about 11 percent and did not advance to the June 23 runoff between Pamela Evette and Alan Wilson. Mace has denied the kinds of former-staff accounts the essay recycles and attributes her defeat to her vote to release the Epstein files.
'I chose wrong if the goal was winning an election': Mace blames her Epstein-files vote for the loss
After her fifth-place finish in the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary, Nancy Mace attributed her defeat to her vote to release the unredacted Epstein files over President Trump's objections, and marked the loss with a baked-beans photo on X, a callback to a viral 2024 meme.
Latest Republican Out of a Job After Forcing Epstein Release
CNN characterized Mace's fifth-place finish in the June 9, 2026 South Carolina GOP gubernatorial primary as the latest example of a Republican losing their seat after forcing the Epstein files release, a framing that placed her alongside Reps. Massie, Boebert, and Greene as petition signers who paid an electoral price. The analysis is CNN's own characterization of the political outcome.
Epstein Files Crusade Takes Down Nancy Mace
The Washington Times characterized Mace's primary loss as the Epstein files 'crusade' taking her down, a framing the outlet applied to her fifth-place finish in the June 9, 2026 South Carolina GOP governor race. The piece covers her concession remarks, in which she said she 'voted to release the Epstein files and lost some support for that,' and her statement that it was 'not a political opinion' but 'a moral emergency.'
“NO REGRETS”, Mace ties Trump’s snub to her Epstein vote
After President Trump endorsed her primary rival Pam Evette on May 29, 2026, Mace posted on X: ‘I voted to release the Epstein files. NO REGRETS.’
Trump Endorses Pam Evette Over Nancy Mace for South Carolina Governor
The Hill reported on May 29, 2026 that Trump endorsed Mace's primary rival, Lt. Gov. Pam Evette, for the South Carolina governorship, a snub Mace publicly attributed to her vote to release the Epstein files. The endorsement was widely covered as the direct consequence of the months-long standoff between Mace and the Trump administration over the file release.
Nancy Mace Blasts Bondi's Bid to Wriggle Out of Epstein Grilling
The Daily Beast reported in April 2026 that Mace publicly blasted AG Pam Bondi's efforts to avoid complying with the Oversight Committee subpoena, characterizing Bondi's response as stonewalling. The piece covers the period between the subpoena vote and Bondi's firing, as Mace continued her public campaign to compel DOJ testimony.
House Oversight Subpoenas Pam Bondi Over Epstein Files on Mace's Motion
CNBC reported on March 4, 2026 that the House Oversight Committee voted 24-19 to subpoena AG Pam Bondi on Mace's motion, after Mace declared the Epstein case would go down as 'one of the greatest cover-ups in American history.' The piece covers the escalation of Mace's fight with the Trump DOJ to a formal congressional subpoena.
Hillary Clinton Destroys Nancy Mace and Lauren Boebert in Table-Slamming Epstein Grilling
The Daily Beast characterized the March 3, 2026 House Oversight Committee deposition, in which Mace questioned Hillary Clinton about the Epstein investigation, as Clinton 'destroying' her questioners, with Clinton pushing back sharply and Mace reportedly acknowledging she lacked supporting documents for part of her line of questioning. Neither Hillary nor Bill Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein; the piece covers Mace's committee conduct.
Nancy Mace: DOJ Is Withholding 'Terabytes' of Epstein Records
The Hill reported on February 24, 2026 that Mace, appearing on NewsNation, claimed the DOJ was withholding 'terabytes of data' and potentially millions of additional Epstein records, and that the scope of the case was 'much bigger than a prostitution and sex trafficking ring.' The piece captures Mace's continued pressure on the DOJ after Bondi's claim of full disclosure.
Mace Goes Off in Scathing Social Media Thread, Rejects Pam Bondi's Claim All Epstein Files Released
Mediaite reported on February 15, 2026 that Mace posted a scathing social media thread rejecting AG Pam Bondi's claim that all Epstein files had been released, declaring 'This isn't going away until people go to jail' and calling the DOJ's handling a shame to victims. The piece documents Mace's escalating public confrontation with the Trump Justice Department.
Nancy Mace Demands Immediate Release of Unredacted Epstein Files
FITSNews reported on February 11, 2026 that Mace, after reviewing unredacted Epstein files at the DOJ, publicly demanded their immediate release and stated that co-conspirator records had been redacted or were missing from the database. The report captures her remarks in which she told targets that 'your days are numbered.'
Lawmakers Demand DOJ Stop Tracking Their Epstein Files Searches
The Hill reported in February 2026 that Mace and other lawmakers demanded the DOJ stop tracking which members of Congress opened specific Epstein files and when, after Mace described the monitoring as 'creepy' and said the system logged every file access. The story drew bipartisan condemnation of the DOJ's surveillance of congressional oversight activity.
“A historic day for every survivor”, Mace as the Epstein bill passes 427-1
On November 18, 2025, as the House passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act 427-1, Mace told the floor it was ‘a historic day for every survivor across the country.’
Why the Epstein Files Vote Was Deeply Emotional for Rep. Nancy Mace
WBUR's Here & Now interviewed Rep. Nancy Mace on November 18, 2025, the day the House passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act 427-1, exploring why the vote carried personal weight for her. Mace, who has publicly disclosed her own history as a sexual assault survivor, discussed her advocacy for Epstein survivors and her push to force the vote through the discharge petition.
Nancy Mace Tussles With Trump Over Epstein Document Dump
FITSNews reported on November 13, 2025 on the emerging conflict between Mace and the Trump orbit over her refusal to withdraw from the Epstein discharge petition. The outlet covered Mace's public statement that day, in which she said she was one of four Republicans to sign the petition, as part of the broader standoff with the former president.
Raging at a satire account
In November 2025, Rep. Nancy Mace replied furiously, using a slur, to an openly-satirical X post by The Halfway Post (comedian Dash McIntyre) joking that Boebert and Mace had recorded calls with Trump about the Epstein files. Mace did not appear to recognize it as satire. When criticized, she said 'satire accounts are supposed to be funny' and told critics to 'rot in hell.' Snopes rated the underlying claim 'Originated as Satire.'
Trump Pressures Boebert and Mace to Drop Epstein Discharge Petition Support
Axios reported on November 12, 2025 that former President Trump personally pressured Republican petition signers, including Mace and Lauren Boebert, to withdraw their support for the discharge petition to force a House vote on the Epstein files. The pressure came as the petition neared the 218-signature threshold needed to bypass Republican leadership.
Nancy Mace 'Had Full-Blown Panic Attack' After Meeting Epstein Survivors
Newsweek reported on September 3, 2025 that Rep. Nancy Mace left a closed-door House Oversight Committee briefing with Jeffrey Epstein abuse survivors and stated she had experienced a full-blown panic attack, describing symptoms including sweating, hyperventilating, and shaking, while listening to survivors' accounts. Mace, who has publicly disclosed her own history as a sexual assault survivor, tied her reaction to her personal trauma. The briefing was part of the House Oversight Committee's investigation into how federal agencies handled the Epstein case and the release of related records.