Republican Rep. Nancy Mace Slams Matt Gaetz Over ‘Allegations He Sexually Trafficked Minors’

GOP Rep. Nancy Mace said Rep. Matt Gaetz repeatedly blocked Kevin McCarthy from becoming Speaker of the House because he was angry McCarthy failed to defend him over sex trafficking allegations.

In a fiery tweet Sunday afternoon, Mace said that “as a rape victim” she would not “defend the untenable.”

Mace was referring to the revelation that Gaetz was the subject of a federal investigation that he trafficked a 17-year-old girl for the purpose of sex. The Florida congressman denied the allegations and was never charged, but was reportedly furious that McCarthy had not come forward in his defense.

It has been speculated that Gaetz’s anger at McCarthy over the incident contributed to him repeatedly voting against the new House Speaker last week.

Gaetz was the subject of a federal investigation that accused him of trafficking a 17-year-old girl for the purpose of sex. The Florida congressman denied the allegations and was never charged, but was reportedly furious that McCarthy had not come forward in his defense

South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace condemned “backroom deals” made to get Kevin McCarthy the Speaker’s gavel, despite being among over 200 members who supported him throughout

“If you think patriotism sends a donation email every time he voted against McCarthy because McCarthy would not defend allegations that he sexually trafficked minors, then our definition of patriotism is very different,” tweeted Mace on Sunday.

Her comments came after she appeared on CBS News’ Face The Nation and compared her party’s four-day public battle for the House speaker to a “food fight” on Sunday, saying her constituents in South Carolina were unhappy with the long delay .

“I represent a very purple district,” Mace said. “I have to serve all sides and there was a lot of frustration at the protracted and unnecessary food fight we had this week.”

“But you have seen democracy in full. And I think it’s healthy to have that kind of debate. I’m glad it’s over and we can move on.”

Mace, who has backed new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, has blasted “backroom deals” between the leader’s allies and conservative holdouts to get him across the finish line in the fifteenth vote.

The Republican legislature from South Carolina also did not hold back when individuals made such deals, nor did she spare other controversial members of her conference.

“Matt Gaetz is a scammer. Every time he voted against Kevin McCarthy last week, he sent out a donation email,” Mace fumed.

“What you saw last week was a constitutional process that has been weakened by these kinds of political actions. I do not support this type of behavior.’

Mace was also asked about freshman GOP Rep. George Santos of New York, who was urged by opponents and constituents to resign after admitting to lying about his employment, education and Jewish heritage.

She wouldn’t say if she would join the calls for Santos’ removal, but Mace bluntly declared that his untruths were a “problem”.

“It’s very difficult to work with someone who you can’t trust and it’s very clear that his entire resume – until a few days ago when he finally changed his website – was made up,” Mace said.

‘It is a problem. If we say we can’t trust the left when they’re telling the truth, how can we trust our own?’

She branded Rep. Matt Gaetz, one of McCarthy’s biggest critics (pictured speaking to McCarthy indoors Jan. 6), as a “conman.”

Regardless of the McCarthy holdouts, Mace also said it was difficult to trust someone like New York Rep. George Santos who misrepresented parts of his backstory

Santos had been a supporter of McCarthy in all 15 ballots. He announced on Saturday that he would also vote “yes” on the House Rules package, where McCarthy made last-minute concessions last week to secure the final votes needed to win the speaker.

However, Mace said she was “on the fence” – not about the contents of the package, but about the way the arrangements were made.

Indeed, the congresswoman pointed out that the new package – touted as a victory for the hard-line right – was not significantly different from its earlier version, save for having the threshold to trigger a vote to remove McCarthy as speaker only one legislature was degraded .

“I like the rules package. It’s the most open, fair and fiscally conservative package we’ve had in 30 years,” Mace said.

In the end, McCarthy narrowly won the speakership with 216 votes in the early hours of Saturday morning

“I support it, but what I don’t support is a small number of people trying to privately and secretly make a deal or deals for themselves to get a vote or a voting gift. I don’t support that. That’s exactly what Nancy Pelosi is doing.”

She pressed the Pelosi comparison multiple times, claiming that recent holdouts like reps. Gaetz, Eli Crane and Matt Rosendale, who withheld the votes, “just like” the former Speaker of the Democratic House of Representatives would have acted.

“What I saw last week was a small faction of the 20 who acted just like old Nancy and tried to do backroom deals in secret without anyone knowing what else was going on,” Mace said.

“And when they finalized the rules package, at the end of the day there was only one point that was changed. That was the eviction request.

“That was the only difference in the package we will be voting on tomorrow that differed from the package initially proposed. So my question today is really what backroom deals have been made – have they tried to cut them?