Republican Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina is being sued for defamation by one of the four men she publicly accused of sexual abuse in a speech she made on the floor of the House of Representatives last month.
In February, Mace took to the House floor to accuse her ex-fiancé, Patrick Bryant, and three other men of rape, sex trafficking and voyeurism. In a nearly hour-long speech, she shared intimate details recounting the horrific and violent attack, including that the men recorded sex acts without her consent.
Now, one of the men accused, Brian Musgrave, has filed a lawsuit against Mace in federal court in South Carolina, denying her claims that he is a “rapist,” “predator” or “sex trafficker.”
Musgrave says he never raped, sexually assaulted, sex trafficking, incapacitated or illegally videotaped Mace nor has he sexually abused or illegally videotaped other women. The South Carolina man says Mace’s speech has damaged his reputation and “destroyed the lives” of his family.
He’s seeking an unspecific award of compensatory and punitive damages to be determined by a jury.
But Musgrave’s lawsuit also seeks to carve out part of the speech and debate clause of the Constitution, which protects members of Congress from civil lawsuits related to their official duties.
“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,” lawyers for Musgrave wrote.
The Independent has asked Mace’s office for comment.
Musgrave added that Mace also hung a poster of him with the word “predators” in a public space and continued to make allegations against him on social media.
In February, Mace took to the House floor to speak out against South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson for failing to act after providing him with evidence of sexual abuse. As part of her speech, Mace displayed the names and faces of the four men she accused of assault, including Musgrave.
Wilson denied knowing about the allegations and said the attorney general’s office never received a report or request of assistance from any law enforcement.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division confirmed it opened an investigation into Bryant regarding allegations of assault, harassment and voyeurism on December 14, 2023, after being contacted by the Capitol Police.
During her speech, Mace claimed to have found more than 10,000 videos and photos of Bryant and his associates, including Musgrave, physically abusing women and herself.
In his lawsuit, Musgrave acknowledged being a longtime friend of Bryant’s but contended he “did not have a great deal of interaction” with Bryant and Mace as a couple and was unaware of any allegation that Bryant acted inappropriately sexually.
