After Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) publicly accused four men of sexual assault on the House floor, one of them is suing her for defamation.

The lawsuit, filed in South Carolina, claims that Mace’s allegations are completely false and that “Mace and her team destroyed the lives of Brian Musgrave and his family.”

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“Now, it is with unbridled disgust that Brian Musgrave through this lawsuit is forced to utter the words: ‘I am not a rapist.’ ‘I am not a predator.’ ‘I am not a sex trafficker,'” the lawsuit states. “Through this action, Brian Musgrave seeks to recover that which has been wrongfully taken from him – his good name and reputation.”

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Mace – who has waged war against trans rights – made the accusation during an almost hour-long speech in February, during which she accused her ex-fiancée of sexual assault as well as filming her naked without her consent. The speech also called out three associates of her ex — Musgraves being one of them — and accused the four men of working together.

“Perhaps the Defendants felt that the message was so powerful that a little collateral damage in the form of Brian Musgrave’s name and reputation was acceptable,” the suit continues. “It is not acceptable to Brian Musgrave. It is not acceptable to his family.”

While Mace claimed to have significant evidence against the men she named, she did not provide it. But she was purportedly protected by the speech and debate clause, which gives lawmakers immunity from criminal and civil prosecution based on what they say in the chamber when it is “within the legislative sphere.”

Musgraves argues the speech and debate clause should not protect her in this case: “While the speech and debate clause of the United States Constitution affords broad protection to members of Congress acting as part of its deliberative process, it does not transform the floor of Congress into a sanctuary for defamation, nor does it protect Congresswoman Mace’s extra-Congressional defamatory statements surrounding her speech.”

The New York Times called Mace’s speech “stunningly graphic” and emphasized it had “little precedent.” 

“Let the bridges I burn this evening light our way forward,” she began, saying she was there to partake in “unveiling evil” that exists in the state of South Carolina.

“Today I’m going to free myself from the monster who broke me,” she said, telling a story of how she gained access to her ex-fiancé’s safe, where he kept his phone and discovered he had filmed her without clothing. She also said she found thousands of videos depicting other women being assaulted while incapacitated, as well as inappropriate photos of underage girls.

“I accidentally uncovered some of the most heinous crimes against women imaginable,” Mace said. “We are talking about rape, nonconsensual photos, non-consensual videos of women and underage girls, and the premeditated, calculated, exploitation of women and girls in my district.”

“I was horrified. I was humiliated,” she said. “I was violated.” Mace also displayed a large placard containing photographs and names of her ex as well as the other men.

She also accused South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) of ignoring the allegations of misconduct against the women mentioned in her speech, including herself. Attorneys general, however, do not investigate sexual assault unless law enforcement turns the case over to them, which didn’t happen in these cases, according to the Daily Beast.

Both Mace and Wilson are reportedly considering a run for South Carolina governor.

Wilson’s office released a statement saying her allegations are “categorically false” and that Mace “either does not understand or is purposefully mischaracterizing the role of the Attorney General.”

The South Carolina Victim Assistance Network’s executive director, Laura Hudson, said Mace is “misunderstanding the entire criminal justice system, which is kind of startling since she wants to be governor.”

Mace’s ex-fiancé, Patrick Bryant, also denied her allegations.

Mace has spoken out about other assaults in the past, saying she was assaulted at a pool when was 14 and raped at 16.

As the Times pointed out, her unwavering support for Donald Trump is ironic, considering he has been accused of sexual assault several times, and in 2023, a jury found him liable for sexual abuse against writer E. Jean Carroll.

Mace has branded herself as a warrior for cisgender women, with her vendetta against the trans community being fueled by her claim that trans women are just “men” in disguise who are seeking to assault women in bathrooms.

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