Man arrested after Rep. Nancy Mace says she was 'accosted.' Report challenges her account
WASHINGTON – Capitol Police arrested a man Tuesday night and charged him with assaulting a government official after Rep. Nancy Mace reported that she had been accosted on the U.S. Capitol grounds.
Police identified the suspect as James McIntyre, 33, of Illinois.
Police said McIntyre was arrested after a member of Congress reported an incident in the Rayburn House Office Building, which was open to the public at the time. McIntyre went through security screening prior to entering the congressional buildings, police said.
The police statement did not mention Mace by name. But the South Carolina Republican posted a message Tuesday night on X saying she had been assaulted.
“I was physically accosted tonight on Capitol grounds over my fight to protect women,” she wrote. “Capitol police have arrested him.”
“All the violence and threats keep proving our point,” Mace added. “Women deserve to be safe. Your threats will not stop my fight for women!”
A published report, however, questioned Mace’s version of events.
The Imprint, a national news website that covers child welfare issues, reported that the exchange between McIntyre and Mace took place outside a House office building following an event honoring the anniversary of a landmark child welfare law. Mace had given a speech at the event.
Three witnesses told the website that McIntyre had done nothing more than shake Mace’s hand at the House reception and asked her to protect the rights of transgender people.
“From what I saw, it was a normal handshake and interaction that I would expect any legislator to expect from anyone as a constituent,” Elliott Hinkle, a former foster youth and advocate for LGBTQ rights, told the publication.
Later, Hinkle said, one of Mace’s aides returned to the reception and asked McIntyre his name and whether he would repeat what he had told the legislator. Two other people who witnessed the interaction confirmed Hinkle’s description of the brief exchange for the Imprint.
McIntyre left the celebration, the publication said, but police later summoned him back to the Rayburn Building and arrested him.
McIntyre grew up in foster care and co-founded a chapter of the influential group Foster Care Alumni of America. The National Association of Social Workers’ Illinois chapter named him its “Public Citizen of the Year” in 2019.
Mace’s spokeswoman, Gabrielle Lipsky, said Wednesday the congresswoman’s office is limited in what it can say about the incident beyond what Capitol Police already have made public.
“The congresswoman is in pain this morning, with her arm in a sling, but she’s otherwise doing well – just shaken up,” Lipsky said.
Referring to eyewitness accounts disputing the congresswoman’s version of events, Lipsky said: "The usual suspects in the media are using the assault on Rep. Mace to prop up misogyny on the left, giving a platform to activists chasing their 15 minutes of fame."
Mace wrote in another message Wednesday on X that President-elect Donald Trump had called her to see how she was doing.
“Thank you, Mr. President, for checking in on me and for standing up for women,” she wrote. “We cannot wait to see you back in the White House.”
Mace caused a stir last month when she filed a resolution to ban transgender women from using the women’s restrooms at the Capitol. The second-term congresswoman filed the measure just weeks after Democrat Sarah McBride of Delaware was elected as the first openly transgender woman to serve in Congress.
Mace's resolution has drawn criticism from LGBTQ advocates and Democrats and support from some Republicans. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., later announced a policy banning transgender people from using Capitol restrooms that align with their gender identity.
McBride is set to be sworn in in January.
(This story has been updated to include additional information.)
Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on X @mcollinsNEWS.