Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) on Sunday had a dispute with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos over her recent support of former President Trump, accusing the anchor of “shaming” her for being a sexual assault survivor in his line of questioning.
Stephanopoulos showed a video clip on “This Week” of Mace giving testimony about being a victim of rape shortly before she announced her run for Congress in 2019. He then asked her how she could reconcile endorsing Trump, who has been found responsible for sexual battery in his defamation lawsuit with E. Jean Carroll.
Mace gave an intense response, accusing Stephanopoulos of attempting to “shame” her for being a rape victim.
“Well, I will tell you, I was raped at the age of 16, and any rape victim will tell you, I’ve lived for 30 years with an incredible amount of shame over being raped. I didn’t come forward because of that judgment and shame that I felt,” she said.
“And it’s a shame that you will never feel, George, and I’m not going to sit here on your show and be asked a question meant to shame me about another potential rape victim. I’m not going to do that,” Mace added.
Stephanopoulos, who served as an adviser to former President Clinton, told her that the question is “actually not about shaming you. It’s a question about Donald Trump.”
She shot back: “No, you are shaming me.”
Mace pointed out that Trump has not been found guilty of rape in a criminal case and repeatedly made the point that Carroll joked about how she would spend a more than $80 million judgement Trump was ordered to pay. A jury ruled earlier this year that Trump needed to pay Carroll $83.3 million for defaming the writer in 2019 by denying her claims that the former president sexually assaulted her in the mid-1990s.
The two continued to go back and forth, with Stephanopoulos pushing back on her claims that he was shaming her.
Stephanopoulos at one point called Mace “courageous” for coming forward with her story but kept pressing her on how she could endorse Trump after saying he should never hold office again after Jan. 6, and in light of the fact that he had been found liable for sexual battery.
“And I answered it. You’re shaming me for my political choices,” she said.
“No, I’m not — I’m asking you a question about why you endorsed someone who’s been found liable for rape. Just answer the question,” Stephanopoulos said.
Mace said Stephanopoulos’s question was “deeply offensive” as the two continued to argue with one another.
“You show that you’re very comfortable with what Donald Trump has done,” Stephanopoulos said.
“And what you’ve done is offensive to women who have been raped. What you’ve done this morning is offensive,” Mace responded.
Mace then took to social media to further rail against Stephanopoulos, posting a clip of the full exchange on social media.
“I’m not going to be shamed for being raped by a guy who worked for a President who wagged his finger and lied to the American people about having oral sex with an intern in the Oval Office…STFU @GStephanopoulos,” Mace wrote on X, the website formerly known as Twitter.
She seemed to be talking about Clinton’s relationship with Monica Lewinsky when she worked as an intern at the White House.
In a different post on X, she mentioned that she was supposed to discuss 2024, but instead George Stephanopoulos, a friend of Clinton and a fake journalist, attacked her and tried to disgrace her as a rape victim.”
The Hill has contacted ABC to request a comment on Mace’s social media posts.
