Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) left a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee meeting early on Tuesday, where victims of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were speaking. She appeared visibly upset as she exited the committee room.
Mace wiped tears from her face and averted reporters’ eyes as she walked past them, signaling she would not be taking questions.
Mace, who has publicly shared her own experience as a sexual assault survivor, explained her early departure in a social media post shortly afterward, revealing she experienced a “full-blown panic attack” while listening to the victims’ accounts.
“Since it’s already being reported – Yes I left the Oversight briefing with Epstein victims early,” Mace wrote on the social platform X.
“As a recent survivor (less than 2 years ago), I struggled to hear their stories,” she wrote. “Full-blown panic attack. Sweating. Hyperventilating. Shaking. I can’t breathe.”
“I deeply understand the immense struggle that all victims face in fighting for themselves because we feel like no one else will fight for us. GOD BLESS ALL SURVIVORS,” she added.
A number of Epstein’s accusers met with members of Congress in a closed-door session on Tuesday, as the House Oversight Committee continues looking into how the federal government managed Epstein’s case.
Democratic lawmakers have called for a hearing involving Epstein’s accusers, noting that they offer firsthand accounts that might not be fully reflected in the Department of Justice’s records. The Oversight Committee has also subpoenaed the Justice Department for case documents, some of which began to be delivered last month.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters ahead of the meeting that it’s important to hear from the victims and to promise them transparency in the investigation.
“Yes, it’s for us to hear from them, to express our deep sympathy for what they’ve been made to endure and ensure that we have been and always will be for maximum transparency, for justice to be brought for all those engaged in these evils and to ensure that happens as quickly as possible,” Johnson said Tuesday.
