Nancy Mace claims she was assaulted by a 'pro-trans man.' A witness says she's lying.

Nancy Mace on Capitol Hill a day after an alleged assault by a 'pro-trans man'. Mace's claim of assault has been disputed by a witness.

South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace has been riding the publicity wave fueled by her attacks on Sarah McBride, the Delaware representative who recently became the first trans woman elected to the House of Representatives. An alleged incident Tuesday night will generate more publicity for her, although it may not all be in her favor.

 From Emily Brooks of The Hill:

A disputed handshake is at the center of a Tuesday incident involving Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) that resulted in an Illinois man’s arrest, according to a police report and a witness who spoke to The Hill. Mace, who has made headlines in recent weeks for advocating against transgender women being able to use Capitol facilities that match their gender identity, said on the social platform X that she was “physically accosted” by a “pro-tr*ns man.” 

Capitol Police confirmed that 33-year-old James McIntyre of Illinois was arrested Tuesday in connection with the incident, which took place at a foster care youth advocacy event. But witness Elliott Hinkle, who is transgender and has experience in foster care, disputed Mace’s characterization of the interaction. 

 . . . “As she went to leave the room, James met her by the door where people could see her and him to say, ‘Trans youth are in foster care and they need your support,’ and gave a handshake and then walked back to his seat and sat down,” Hinkle told The Hill, noting that 30 percent of youth in foster care are LGBTQ.

“It seemed a pretty normal interaction from those of us who witnessed it.” 

 A Mace staff member returned to ask McIntyre’s name and what he said to Mace, Hinkle said. Soon after, Hinkle said, Capitol Police showed up with an “overwhelming presence” and eventually arrested McIntyre. 

 John Kelly of The Imprint gave more details in his article: 

 Elliott Hinkle, a former foster youth and advocate for LGBTQ rights, said McIntyre shook her hand, and made a comment about how many transgender youth are in foster care, adding: “They need your support.” 

 “From what I saw, it was a normal handshake and interaction that I would expect any legislator to expect from anyone as a constituent,” said Hinkle, a consultant who has advised the federal government on issues affecting youth in foster care. 

 From Brooks is the police report: 

 A police report on the incident also documented Mace’s account of the handshake, which had a more aggressive interpretation.

 “The victim [Mace] offered their right hand to the individual to shake hands, and upon their hands coming together, the individual placed their other hand on top of the victim’s hand in a clasping manner so that the victim’s hand was between both of the subject’s hands. The victim stated that the subject began to aggressively and in an exaggerated manner shake her arm up and down in a hand shaking motion. The effect of the motion was described as her arm flailing for about 3-5 seconds,” the police report said of Mace’s accounting of the interaction.

 “The victim stated that she attempted to pull her hand away from the subject but was held in place by the subject,” the report continued. “During the shaking motion, the victim advised that the subject stated, ‘trans youth deserve advocacy.’”

 Mace told police she was experiencing pain in her wrists, arm, and armpit/shoulder after the incident, according to the police report. 

Brooks also wrote:

McIntyre was arrested Tuesday and charged with assaulting a government official, Capitol Police said. On Wednesday, McIntyre pleaded not guilty to the charge in D.C. Superior Court. 

 Asked to respond to Hinkle disputing Mace’s characterization of events, Mace spokesperson Gabrielle Lipsky told The Hill in a statement: “With an ongoing investigation, we’re limited in what we can share beyond what Capitol Police have already made public. The Congresswoman is in pain this morning, with her arm in a sling, but she’s otherwise doing well—just shaken up. What’s even more disheartening is watching the Left and their media allies deny this even happened, propping up misogyny instead of condemning violence.”

 Mace was spotted wearing a sling in the Capitol on Wednesday and posted on X that President-elect Trump had called her to check in on her.

While Mace has her defenders on Twitter (many of whom veered to her rhetoric about evil trans women invading women's spaces and assaulting other women who "stand up" to them,) a great number of others have voiced - in varying degrees of tones - that Mace is blowing the incident of out of proportion to stay on the publicity train. 

And that assumption wouldn't be farfetched. Mace has a reputation on Capitol Hill for public behavior and stunts geared to maximize attention and get her a spot on news programs such as Fox. Even before her crusade against McBride, fellow Republican legislators and former staff employees in her office have called her out for various stunts.