South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace is facing heated criticism after she threw a tantrum and accused airport police in Charleston, South Carolina, of not showing up to protect her ahead of an early morning flight after she allegedly arrived late and at the wrong gate.
Airport police had arranged for Mace, who is also a Republican candidate in the South Carolina governor’s race, to be escorted to her flight upon arrival. However, a mix-up over which vehicle she was traveling in led to confusion, according to an incident report. Officers later found Mace attempting to enter through a doorway typically reserved for flight crew at a TSA security checkpoint.
Several officers who provided statements said Mace began cursing at them, calling the department “incompetent,” and shouting that this was no way to treat a “f***ing U.S. representative.” Mace also claimed the officers would “never treat South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott this way.”
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In a post on X, Mace, sharing a screenshot of the date of the incident report, "the incident happened BEFORE I arrived to the airport Thursday. OR, the other option is the report was created BEFORE my arrival. Pick one."
She added:
"Where is the FAKE NEWS to correct all these lies??? They so far have REFUSED to correct the record and the lies from the airport and my opponents. I demand an apology and corrections from EVERYONE. This is CRAZY TOWN."
However, she was fact-checked via Community Note, which noted that she was omitting the fact that she had been late to the airport.
Mace later posted a seemingly edited version of the airport security footage and insisted that there is "one fleeting moment - one second, maybe two - when security approaches and I briefly turn to say something. That's it! There's no scandal."
She added:
"Airport CEO Elliott Summey and everyone involved should resign. NOW. IMMEDIATELY! And RETRACT every single phony claim."
"The FAKE NEWS media who ran with this garbage? You might want to consider your position carefully. There will be consequences if you do not correct or retract your stories."
"Elliott - I'm waiting for that resignation letter. Tomorrow morning. Get your computer ready and start typing. You’re completely and totally COOKED."
You can see her post below.
She also criticized the press during a news interview:
"Did I call them incompetent? If I didn't, then they absolutely earned it. Today I want you to know that you guys in the press, the fake news have omitted many details and by doing so, you are lying about what has transpired here."
"I have had over two dozen security breaches at the Charleston Airport so far this year. We haven't even made it a full year yet and I have personally had more than two dozen security breaches at this airport."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
Mace has been harshly criticized for her conduct.
After Mace was escorted to her gate and her flight departed, one of the officers said they spoke with TSA supervisor Johnny Lynch, who confirmed that Mace had spoken in a similar manner to several TSA agents—many of whom were upset by her behavior.
TSA agents are among the federal employees currently required to work without pay amid the ongoing government shutdown, now set to become the longest in U.S. history.
The same officer added in their statement that “any other person in the airport acting and talking the way she did, our department would have been dispatched and we would have addressed the behavior.”
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