A man is accused of physically assaulting Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on the Capitol grounds in Washington, DCOn Tuesday night, he pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge.
James McIntyre, 33, of Illinois, was charged with assault on a government official on Tuesday after he accused Mayes.
According to a police affidavit, two witnesses told U.S. Capitol Police that Mays was approached by a man about 40 years old, identified only as the victim, to shake her hand. When Mays extended her hand, the man grabbed her hand with both hands and “shook her arm up and down in an exaggerated aggressive handshake motion.”
Police said witnesses provided the name and photo of the man Mays met after finding an online post of the event. Witnesses later identified the man as James McIntyre, who police said was a 33-year-old Illinois resident.
Capitol Police arrest a suspect after the alleged assault of Rep. Nancy Mace
Rep. Nancy Mace, RSC, speaks with reporters before the House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Officers spoke to Mace After the meeting, she gave a similar account.
Mays told officers that she offered her right hand to the man to shake her hand, and he clasped his hands around it and began shaking her arm up and down “aggressively and in an exaggerated manner.”
Mays said she tried to pull her hand away from the man but was unable to do so.
During the violent shaking, the man said, “Trans youth deserve advocacy,” Mace said.
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, RSC, arrives for the House Republican Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on November 19, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Deitch/Getty Images)
Mays told officers she was in shock over the situation and didn't say anything to the man.
She also said she felt afraid when she tried to walk away, and after the confrontation, she felt pain in her wrists, arm and shoulder.
When asked if she wanted paramedics to respond, Mays reportedly declined.
After the incident, Mays took to social media to tell her followers what happened.
Mace is facing backlash over efforts to ban a transgender congressman from women's bathrooms
“I was physically assaulted tonight in the Capitol building for my fight to protect women. I have been arrested by Capitol Police,” Mace said in a post on X. “All the violence and threats continue to prove our point. Women deserve to be safe. Your threats will not stop my fight for women!”
On Wednesday, she continued to write about the encounter on X in a series of posts.
She said in one post that she had just gotten off the phone with President-elect Trump.
“Thank you, Mr. President, for validating me and standing up for women,” Mace wrote. “We can't wait to see you back in the White House.”
In another post, she posted a picture of herself with her arm in a sling.
Mace's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for an update on the actor's condition on Wednesday.
The investigating judge ordered McIntyre released after a trial Bringing charges to the Supreme Court From the District of Columbia.
Mayes has been vocal about her opposition to transgender individuals using bathrooms not designated for their biological sex.
She led the campaign against allowing Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, a Democrat from Delaware, to use the program. Women's restrooms on Capitol Hill. McBride is a biological man who identifies and presents himself as a woman.
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Mays said last month that she had been receiving death threats, adding that she had been “unfairly targeted.”
Mace also authored H.R. 1579, which would prohibit members, officers and employees of the House of Representatives from using facilities other than those that correspond with their biological sex.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
