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South Carolina congresswoman accuses 4 men, including ex-fiancé, of being sexual ‘predators’ • Alabama Reflector
South Carolina congresswoman accuses 4 men, including ex-fiancé, of being sexual ‘predators’
by Shaun Chornobroff, Alabama Reflector
February 11, 2025
This story originally appeared on South Carolina Daily Gazette.
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina, accused four men, including her ex-fiancé, of “some of the most heinous crimes against women imaginable” during a nearly hour-long prepared speech Monday night on the House floor.
The 1st District congresswoman said she discovered thousands of photos taken with hidden cameras as well as recordings the “predators” made of themselves sexual assaulting women over years. She was among the victims. Some were underage girls, she said.
“None of you will get away with it,” said Mace, who has represented the Lowcountry since 2020. “None of you will because tonight is about justice for all of the women that you all raped, that you all filmed, that you all photographed, that you all abused for years.”
Headshots of the four men, along with where they live, were on a poster that read “PREDATORS. STAY AWAY FROM.”
All four men strongly denied the allegations to The Post and Courier after the speech.
“I categorically deny these allegations. I take this matter seriously and will cooperate fully with any necessary legal processes to clear my name,” her ex-fiancé, Patrick Bryant of Charleston County, told the newspaper.
The two broke up in late 2023, which would be after Mace said she found the evidence.
The State Law Enforcement Division confirmed after her speech that Bryant is being investigated for assault, harassment and voyeurism.
The investigation started Dec. 14, 2023, after SLED was contacted by U.S. Capitol Police. Multiple interviews and search warrants have happened since. A “well-documented case file” will eventually be available. But the “complex” case is ongoing and involves multiple lawyers, SLED said in a statement.
Once the investigation is complete, the file will be sent to a prosecutor for review, it concluded.
The statement did not name any of the other three men Mace called out in her speech.
One reached by the Gazette said he will “fight this in a court of law.”
“I unequivocally deny all the allegations made against me which are baseless, repugnant and defamatory,” Eric Bowman, former owner of the Charleston Battery soccer team, responded in a text.
‘This monster stole my body’
Mace’s speech started with a declaration that she was going “scorched earth.”
Mace, 47, said she first discovered the crimes after confronting Bryant, a computer software entrepreneur, about a text she received. He initially put his phone in a safe but later gave her the combination.
She looked through his phone and saw a woman unconscious being sexually assaulted. She also found photos of a teenager undressed “in the kind of underwear a child would wear,” she said.
Mace then said she saw another video of a slender woman with long brown hair. The woman was unaware she was being filmed, Mace said.
She turned up the volume and heard her own voice. The congresswoman zoomed in on the video. There was no denying it was her.
“My entire body was paralyzed, and I couldn’t move,” an emotional Mace said. “Were my feet on the floor? Was I breathing? I had no idea. I could feel pain shooting out of my heart, out of my chest.”
“This monster stole my body. It felt like I had been raped,” she said.
It happened in 2022, she said, while she and Bryant were at a function at an Isle of Palms property owned by him and another man she called out as part of the group of predators. She had two vodka sodas and blacked out, something she said had never happened before.
“My memories of that night are like flashes in and out of dark, flashes in and out of the night,” she said. “I was raped that night.”
Mace, who announced her engagement to Bryant in May 2022, said she could not be sure if it was Bryant who did it.
On one camera alone, she said, she found 10,633 videos, plus numerous photos of adult women and about a dozen photos of underage girls.
“I found file after file,” she said, adding that it seemed most were unaware of what was happening.
The night before she left Bryant in November 2023, Mace said she was physically assaulted by him. She added she still has a mark to this day from it.
“Rather than see this mark as a scar, I see this mark of a free woman, free from a monster,” Mace said.
Mace mentioned her Christian faith throughout her speech. She also mentioned how the daughter of Ethel Lance, a 70-year-old victim of the 2015 Mother Emmanuel shooting, forgave the killer.
“I don’t want to forgive. I don’t want to, but I know that as a woman of faith, I have to,” Mace said.
Throughout her speech, the phone number of a hotline for victims was displayed on a poster beside her. Mace encouraged any victims of the men to call (843) 212-7048.
Attorney general accusations
Mace also accused Attorney General Alan Wilson, an expected foe in the 2026 governor’s race, of not addressing the crimes against her and other women — allegations his office called “categorically false.”
During her speech, Mace stood next to a poster of Wilson that read “Do-Nothing Attorney General,” a moniker she has routinely used to describe him.
Mace said she turned evidence of her findings over to the attorney general, who failed to take any action with it and at one point refused further evidence.
But Wilson said neither he nor anyone in his office had any knowledge of the accusations until her speech. His office has not received any reports or requests for assistance from any law enforcement agency or prosecutor’s office, his office said in a statement released shortly after the speech.
Beyond that, it is not the attorney general’s job to start a police investigation, the statement noted.
“Ms. Mace either does not understand or is purposefully mischaracterizing the role of the attorney general” as the state’s chief prosecutor, it said.
As for her claim that Wilson refused to receive evidence, his office said, “the attorney general would always direct any citizen to provide evidence of a crime to the appropriate law enforcement agency, which would be responsible for the investigation.”
The lengthy statement also pointed out that Wilson and Mace have been at multiple events together over the past six months and that Mace has Wilson’s personal cellphone number.
“Not once has she approached or reached out to him regarding any of her concerns,” it read.
Mace has made stops around the state in recent weeks as she contemplates a gubernatorial bid. Gov. Henry McMaster is ineligible to run again, creating wide-open field.
So far, only former reality TV star and state Treasurer Thomas Ravenel has announced a run for governor, which he did on X last week.
But Mace, Wilson and Lt. Gov. Pam Evette are the three most expected to run. Mace has been highly critical of both Wilson and Evette on social media.
Transgender controversies
Mace has also been making headlines for recent comments about transgender people.
In November, she led the charge to ban transgender women from using women’s restrooms in the U.S. Capitol and House office buildings.
Her resolution followed Delaware electing Rep. Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson then issued a rule that “all single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings — such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms — are reserved for individuals of that biological sex.”
Mace then introduced legislation to expand the rule to all federal buildings, as well as a separate bill applying the rule to restrooms nationwide. It threatens to prohibit federal aid to any company or government not complying. No action has been taken on either of those bills yet.
Last Thursday, Mace was criticized as using offensive language toward trans people during a House Oversight Committee hearing on spending by the United States Agency for International Development, known as USAID, which the Trump administration has halted.
Mace accused USAID of “funding some of the dumbest, I mean stupidest, just dumbest initiatives imaginable, all supported by the left,” citing a list of diversity and transgender advocacy initiatives funded around the world.
“Our foreign assistance system is badly broken, and this ends now,” she said in a video of her questioning she proudly included in her weekly newsletter.
When a Democrat on the committee told Mace she was using a slur to the LGBTQ community, she interrupted him and repeated the term multiple times, saying, “I really don’t care. You want penises in women’s bathrooms, and I’m not going to have it.”
The day before, she received a personal shoutout from President Donald Trump when he signed an executive order prohibiting transgender athletes from competing in female sports.
During her speech Monday on the House floor, Mace touted multiple bills she introduced to protect women.
They include legislation titled the Prison Rape Prevention Act, which requires prisoners to be housed and transported based on their biological sex. She said she introduced the bill “so a woman can’t be raped by a man who thinks he’s a woman.”
And she doubled down on her critics.
“I’ll take all of the arrows and all of the attacks, if it means I’m taking these attacks for each and every one of you,” Mace said. “I’m doing this today because we can’t delay justice. Justice victims like myself need to move forward.”
Mace cannot be sued for her accusations. The Speech or Debate Clause protects members of Congress from lawsuits for what is said on the floor.
SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. SC Daily Gazette maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Seanna Adcox for questions: info@scdailygazette.com.
Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.
The post South Carolina congresswoman accuses 4 men, including ex-fiancé, of being sexual ‘predators’ • Alabama Reflector appeared first on alabamareflector.com
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Alabama's Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday returns: Which items are eligible
SUMMARY: Alabama’s Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday runs through Sunday, allowing families to purchase specific items tax-free. Eligible items include clothing under $100 (boots, diapers, jackets, jeans, uniforms), school supplies under $50 (binders, crayons, glue, pens, pencils), computers under $750, and books under $30. This tax break helps lower-income families save money, as they typically spend a larger portion of their income on school supplies. The holiday provides temporary relief from sales tax, making back-to-school shopping more affordable. A complete list of eligible items is available on the Alabama Department of Revenue website and WVTM 13’s site.
Alabama’s Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday returns: Which items are eligible
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News from the South - Alabama News Feed
Loving Memories of Autumn Strickland | July 17, 2025 | News 19 at 6 p.m.
SUMMARY: Friends and loved ones of Autumn Strickland, the woman tragically abducted and killed in May, are honoring her vibrant spirit and generous heart. Known for her bold energy, love of horses, and deep loyalty, Autumn was a devoted mother, daughter, sister, and friend. She cherished time at the barn, helping others, and expressing love openly—even during her school years. Her two-year-old daughter Aspen survives her, while her son Lane passed away at age five. Friends remember Autumn’s fearless, compassionate nature and are committed to keeping her memory alive, especially for Aspen, hoping she will grow up knowing her mother’s love and strength.
Childhood and lifelong friends of Autumn Strickland spoke exclusively to News 19 about how they want her memory to live on …
News from the South - Alabama News Feed
Democrats walk out on US Senate Judiciary vote on Trump judicial nominee Emil Bove
by Ashley Murray, Alabama Reflector
July 17, 2025
WASHINGTON — Despite a walkout from Democrats, Senate Republicans tasked with vetting nominees to the federal bench on Thursday claimed to advance President Donald Trump’s former criminal defense attorney, Emil Bove, one step closer to a spot on the U.S. Appeals Court that handles cases in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
A spokesperson for Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who chairs the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, told States Newsroom the panel approved Bove’s nomination in a 12-0 vote — that is, despite panel rules that state “at least two members of the minority” must be present to transact committee business. The Iowa Republican’s office did not immediately respond to a follow-up question about committee rules.
In a show of opposition, all Democratic members of the panel, with the exception of Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, stood up and left as Republicans on the panel cast “aye” votes to push Bove’s nomination to the full Senate.
Booker, of New Jersey, refused to stop speaking as Grassley called the vote.
“You are a decent man. Why are you doing this?” Booker protested.
In a post on social media following the meeting, Josh Sorbe, press secretary for the committee’s minority, wrote: “Shameful day in Senate Judiciary. Republicans broke numerous committee rules, ignored privileged motions, denied debate, and rushed through judicial nominees without real vetting. Sen. BOOKER admonished them for it, and Democrats denied quorum and walked out.”
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the panel, later issued a statement acknowledging the vote took place, but maintained Senate Republicans broke committee rules by ignoring Booker’s request for further debate and moving ahead with the vote.
“Chairman Grassley claimed that he was following Committee precedent. This is simply untrue,” Durbin said.
Questions about bribery charges, Jan. 6
Senate Democrats, former judges and advocates opposed Bove’s nomination over what they describe as unethical behavior, including questions about his role as a top Department of Justice official in the dismissal of federal bribery charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams and in the firing of prosecutors who worked on cases probing the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Critics also pointed to recent whistleblower accusations that Bove suggested ignoring a federal court order limiting Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
Bove represented Trump in his multiple federal criminal cases in 2023 and 2024, as well as in a New York state trial that ended in Trump’s conviction on 34 felonies for falsifying business records.
Trump appointed Bove as acting attorney general on his first day in office, and Bove shifted to principal associate deputy upon Attorney General Pam Bondi’s confirmation.
Bove’s nomination to a lifetime appointment on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit has been overshadowed by a whistleblower’s account alleging Bove told subordinates to consider defying a federal court order halting Trump’s deportation flights to El Salvador in March.
Both Bove and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, another of Trump’s former criminal defense attorneys, deny the allegations.
Grassley said Thursday prior to the vote that allegations against Bove “frankly crossed the line.”
“What we’re witnessing has all the hallmarks of a political hit job,” Grassley said.
Illinois’ Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the panel, said in his opening statement Thursday that Bove “should not be seriously considered by the Senate for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench.”
“He led this administration’s embarrassing efforts to strike a corrupt bargain with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and he has been trailed by a history of complaints, long predating his affiliation with President Trump, about his temperament, his poor judgment and lack of candor before the court,” Durbin said.
Whistleblower complaint
Durbin and fellow minority committee members requested the panel hear testimony from Erez Reuveni, a former senior DOJ official who filed a whistleblower complaint in which he alleged he was fired for refusing to follow department orders to undermine the courts in Trump’s deportation cases.
In the complaint submitted to the DOJ inspector general and Congress, Reuveni, who spent 15 years with the department, outlined “a pattern of deliberate defiance of federal court rulings related to immigration enforcement,” according to a summary from the Government Accountability Project and Gilbert Employment Law P.C., which filed the complaint on Reuveni’s behalf.
Lawmakers who viewed the complaint said Reuveni recounted witnessing Bove suggesting the DOJ might need to tell the courts “f— you” in relation to any order blocking the administration from sending planes full of deported migrants to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act.
“Mr. Reuveni has made credible allegations against Mr. Bove, which, if true, clearly disqualify him for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench. Thus, it is imperative that the Committee hear from Mr. Reuveni, under oath, before we vote on Mr. Bove’s nomination,” according to a letter Monday led by Durbin.
Grassley shut down the request Tuesday, writing in a response that documents provided by the minority to support the claim do not “substantiate any misconduct by Mr. Bove.”
“I respect whistleblowers and the whistleblowing process and have taken this matter seriously. I note that the available documents and the public record are inconsistent with some of the whistleblower’s assertions, which have been reviewed in good faith,” Grassley wrote.
Dozens of former judges protest nomination
More than 80 former federal and state judges described Bove’s nomination as a “disservice to the constitution, to law enforcement and to the rule of law” in a letter to Grassley and Durbin Tuesday.
The judges, including former 4th Circuit Judge Michael Luttig, a George H. W. Bush appointee who endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris last year, slammed Bove’s “egregious record of mistreating law enforcement officers, abusing power, and disregarding the law itself,” adding that the allegations disqualify him for the position.
The letter cited Bove’s alleged role in firing Federal Bureau of Investigation agents and DOJ officials who prosecuted those involved in storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump pardoned all of the nearly 1,600 Jan. 6 defendants on the first night of his second term, including the most violent convicted felons.
The former judges also called Trump’s nomination of his personal defense attorney to a federal judgeship “deeply inappropriate.”
“In fact, when President Trump nominated Bove, he posted on social media that Bove would ‘do anything else that is necessary to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.’ That statement underscores the peril of confirming a nominee whose principal qualification appears to be personal loyalty to the president,” the former judges wrote.
Lena Zwarensteyn, senior director of the fair courts program at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said the list of concerns over Bove’s nomination “goes on and on and on.”
“I think when it comes down to it, you know, in a lifetime position that requires good judgment, wise discretion, good temperament and the dedication to the rights of all, Mr. Bove fails on every single one of those accounts,” Zwarensteyn told States Newsroom in an interview Wednesday.
GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who announced his retirement after breaking ranks earlier this month on Trump’s budget reconciliation package, said Thursday he found nothing to prove Bove expressed support for Jan. 6 defendants — something that would have been a “red line,” he said.
“The fact of the matter is, I can’t find one piece of evidence where he said that the violent act against police officers were okay or condoned. If you find it, let me know,” Tillis said.
Bove, of Seneca Falls, New York, graduated from Georgetown University Law in Washington, D.C., in 2008. He clerked for Judge Richard J. Sullivan of the Southern District of New York, and Judge Richard C. Wesley, who now sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.
Bove, 44, worked as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, and in 2023 became a partner at Blanche Law, the private firm of Todd Blanche.
Tense confirmation hearing
Democratic senators, and in some cases Republicans, peppered Bove with questions and concerns about the numerous misconduct allegations during the Judiciary Committee’s June 25 confirmation hearing.
Booker said he remained worried about a “pattern of behavior” first reported by Politico in February regarding complaints about Bove’s temper from former colleagues in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York.
“The allegations align with reports about your abuse of power now at the DOJ,” Booker said.
Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, pressed Bove on why the DOJ dismissed the federal corruption case against the New York mayor, who was charged with accepting illegal campaign contributions and luxury travel in exchange for favors.
The Trump administration moved to dismiss the Adams case in February, arguing the case interfered with the mayor’s ability to carry out immigration enforcement in the city. The administration requested a dismissal without prejudice — meaning Adams could be prosecuted again — but a federal judge ultimately dismissed the case in April with prejudice, citing concerns the White House would have leverage over Adams’ policy decisions.
“Do you believe in a higher being?” Kennedy asked Bove.
“It’s a very personal question, Senator, but I do,” Bove responded.
“I want you to look me in the eye and swear to your higher being when you answer this question, did you make a deal, a political deal, and dismiss the charges against Mayor Adams?” Kennedy said.
“Absolutely not,” Bove answered.
Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.
The post Democrats walk out on US Senate Judiciary vote on Trump judicial nominee Emil Bove appeared first on alabamareflector.com
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
This article presents the nomination of Emil Bove with a critical tone largely aligned with Democratic perspectives and concerns. It emphasizes allegations of misconduct, ethical questions, and opposition from Democrats and former judges, while providing Republican statements primarily as counterpoints or defenses. The framing highlights criticism of the nominee’s ties to former President Trump and portrays Senate Republicans as pushing the nomination amid procedural disputes. Although the article reports statements from both sides, the overall emphasis on Democratic objections and allegations suggests a center-left leaning in coverage, reflecting skepticism toward the nominee and the Republican-led process.
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