Nancy Mace accuses ex-fiancé of secretly filming her during US House hearing
Rep. Nancy Mace displayed a blurred image of what she described as her “naked silhouette” during a House Oversight subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, alleging it was recorded without her consent.
The image was shown on a poster behind her at the hearing, which focused on surveillance in private spaces.
Mace said the screenshot was taken from a hidden camera placed at a rental property linked to her ex-fiancé, Charleston tech entrepreneur Patrick Bryant.
Today I exposed a monster whose victims deserve justice. The victims also deserve stronger federal and state laws to protect them.
To other potential victims, I want you to know, “I have your back.”
I would run through a brick wall to protect women and girls in South Carolina.… pic.twitter.com/RjcsXDz7prShe also presented censored images of other women, which she said were recorded without their knowledge. Bryant has denied the allegations.
“Freedom is not a theory. It is the right to breathe. It is the right to dress and undress, to sleep without someone’s camera filming your naked body,” Mace said.
She described herself as a survivor and urged lawmakers to pass legislation to strengthen legal protections against non-consensual recording and voyeurism.
Mace first made the allegations publicly on the House floor in February, accusing Bryant and three other men of secretly filming women, sexual assault, and other crimes.
"So I say, bring it on, brother, because there is no defamation in the truth. And if you're going to be the kind of moron and monster who sues his own victims, may God help you."
Hold the line. pic.twitter.com/khyOeVO1ceBryant denied the claims in a statement, calling them “false” and “malicious.” He also said that if Mace believed the accusations to be true, she would pursue them outside of Congress.
One of the men named by Mace has filed a defamation lawsuit against her.
Mace’s office has cited the Speech or Debate Clause of the US Constitution, which protects members of Congress from legal action based on their legislative activities.
Predator and rapist, Patrick Bryant, says he has “never raped anyone… never hidden cameras… never harmed any woman…”
1. If you aren’t a rapist, why would you film a rape and why would you be filmed raping another?
2. Dozens of women filmed, recorded and stored on your…Mace defended her decision to use her position to raise awareness about voyeurism and privacy violations, noting she has introduced multiple bills to protect victims. Her efforts received support from several lawmakers during the hearing.
“I would run through a brick wall to protect women and girls in South Carolina and to other potential victims,” Mace said.
The hearing highlighted ongoing concerns about privacy, consent, and the need for updated laws addressing non-consensual surveillance.