Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) defied President Donald Trump to vote to advance the release of files from the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case — but then quickly stepped in to give a full-throated MAGA defense of Trump's own involvement with the late financier.
Mace was one of a small handful of Republicans to sign the discharge petition from Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY), compelling the release of the remaining Epstein files. The Trump administration has warned GOP lawmakers that backing the petition is a "hostile act" against Trump, and Massie, a frequent thorn in the side of GOP leadership, hit back by suggesting Trump “may be covering for some rich and powerful people that are friends of his.”
For her part, Mace is herself a sexual assault survivor and was visibly emotional after listening to testimony from those victimized by Epstein, being seen striding away from the vote in tears. She would later confirm on social media that the experience gave her a "panic attack."
However, on Wednesday, she took to X again to clarify that not only does she not blame Trump for his own involvement with Epstein, but she considers him the hero of the story.
"President Trump is the one who banned Jeffrey Epstein from Mar-a-Lago. President Trump is the one who cooperated with the feds to get this guy," wrote Mace. "President Trump is the one who is COMMITTED to protecting women and kids."
In reality, aside from the long string of women who have accused and, in one case, successfully sued Trump for sexual misconduct, experts who have followed the story say Trump's claim to have banned Epstein after he poached young girls from his club doesn't add up, and is contradicted by a timeline in which Trump was publicly praising Epstein for years after that.
Watch the video of Mace below or at the link here.