Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
Almost nine months after U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace accused her former fiancé of sexual crimes in a speech on the House floor, he is suing her and says the claims were fabricated by Mace as part of a coordinated, personal scheme to obtain two houses. Patrick Bryant filed the counterclaim Nov. 6 in Charleston County court. In the 33-page document, Bryant alleges Mace hacked into his cellphone and worked with a friend’s estranged wife to orchestrate what he calls a “conspiracy.” “The citizens of South Carolina and the United States rightly expect that elected leaders will wield the immense power of public office only for the public good,” the suit said. “But when a sitting United States Congresswoman instead privately weaponizes falsehoods to extort private property, fabricates criminal allegations to destroy citizen’s reputation, and abuses her private relationships to coerce private citizens, that conduct shocks the conscience of every voter who entrusted her with their vote.” The filing is part of a response to a larger lawsuit brought against Bryant and three other men earlier this year by an unidentified Jane Doe who claimed in court records that she was assaulted by one of Bryant’s business associates at the home of Eric Bowman. Doe further claimed both Bowman and Bryant filmed the alleged crime. Soon after that lawsuit was filed in May, Mace called a press conference at her congressional office where she read aloud from the complaint and took no questions. In the new court filing, Bryant alleges he is the only victim and that Mace worked with Bowman’s estranged wife, Melissa Britton, to make up the assault that involved Doe. Bryant said Doe previously worked for him. Bryant claims Doe filed her lawsuit based on Mace’s false accusations and told another person that Mace never showed her the footage she claimed to have of the alleged crime. Bryant said Mace believed he was cheating during their relationship and tried to hack his phone. The two ended their relationship in late 2023. In a written statement, Bryant said he’s had to remain quiet while Mace made “completely false accusations” about him. “Mace continues to frame herself as a victim, while she was one of the people who originated these claims and helped push them forward,” Bryant said. “She now tries to hide behind the privileges of her office, but this has nothing to do with governing. It's a completely personal attack.” Mace, who is also a GOP candidate for governor, pushed back against Bryant’s claims in a string of Nov. 7 social media posts. “What kind of guy sues his own rape victim and sues women he filmed without their knowledge, permission or consent for YEARS? Who does that?” Mace wrote in one of her posts, adding, “Can't wait for a court hearing on this!!! Put me in coach - I'm ready to testify, under oath - this guy should be rotting in a jail cell…” In her Feb. 10 floor speech, Mace accused her ex-fiancé and three of his male business associates of recording incidents of sexual exploitation, voyeurism and assault involving multiple women without their knowledge. She too was a victim, Mace said in her speech. All the men have denied Mace's accusations. One of the men named in Mace’s speech, Eric Bowman, is currently in jail on domestic violence charges from 2016. That Bryant is suing Mace in her personal capacity is an important legal distinction. A defamation lawsuit brought against Mace, R-Charleston, earlier this year by one of the men she named in her floor speech was tossed out by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel said in his ruling that Mace was acting within her official duties when she accused that Fort Mill man of being a sexual predator in a speech on the House floor and in other statements. In his ruling from the bench, Gergel said some of the defamation claims against Mace might have had merit if not for the Westfall Act, which shields members of Congress from facing lawsuits over their official duties. The act, he said, left him no choice but to dismiss the case. In his filing, Bryant and his attorneys claim Mace’s alleged actions against Bryant are not covered by the Westfall Act. In the court record, they argue she was engaging in “solely personal acts, for her personal gain, without any relationship to her position as a United States Congresswoman.” “At the time of these statements, Mace had not introduced any bill or other proposed legislation regarding the subject of voyeurism, nor had Mace conceived or drafted any measure related to video-voyeurism or sexual-assault reform,” the lawsuit states. Bryant asked Mace to marry him in May 2022. At the time, Mace was in full campaign mode and trying to fend off a pair of GOP primary challengers. Her campaign later shared the proposal on social media. While Bryant and Mace were together, they purchased a nearly 4,000-square-foot home for $3.9 million home on the Isle of Palms and a $1.6 million Capitol Hill townhome. They broke up in the winter of 2023. The suit further claimed Mace had not reported any of the alleged crimes to law enforcement, “by her own admission,” a reference to testimony given under oath by Mace’s former political consultant Wesley Donehue.
