Nancy Mace's Ex-Staffers Claim She Asked Them to Make 'Burner Accounts' on Social Media to Hype Her

Former staffers of South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace are accusing nan arguable congresswoman of making immoderate questionable requests of her team.

In a caller study from WIRED, respective past staffers said retired against Mace, 47, nether nan information of anonymity successful bid to debar retaliation from their erstwhile boss. Mace's agency dismissed nan study arsenic "laughable" erstwhile reached for remark by PEOPLE.

Some of nan erstwhile workers alleged to WIRED that nan Republican lawmaker would often show her image connected societal media, moreover creating bots to station successful support of her. She allegedly besides asked staffers to create clone profiles connected societal media successful bid to support an oculus connected sermon and boost her online image.

“We had to make aggregate accounts, burner accounts, and spell and reply to comments, saying things that weren’t true—even Reddit forums,” a erstwhile staffer claimed. “We were legislature staff, and location were existent things we could beryllium doing to thief nan constituents.”

The congresswoman, erstwhile a self-described “never Trumper,” has go 1 of nan president’s astir outspoken friends successful Congress during his 2nd term. She has touted her tech expertise arsenic a personnel of nan House subcommittee connected Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation.

In fact, WIRED's sources claimed, Mace would often picture herself arsenic a “self-taught coder.”

“I would opportunity [it was] astatine slightest a play comment, if not daily,” different said of nan congresswoman’s tech boasting.

PEOPLE asked Mace's agency for remark connected nan WIRED report, to which spokesperson Sydney Long sarcastically warned that her consequence would person to beryllium short. "I would springiness you an further remark but we're excessively engaged creating burner accounts, according to erstwhile staff," she prefaced.

Long's charismatic connection read, "As Congresswoman Mace’s Communications Director, I tin opportunity pinch complete confidence: I’ve ne'er been asked to create a burner account, and nan proposal is laughable."

The latest reporting from WIRED comes conscionable 1 week aft Mace’s latest buzzy quality connected Capitol Hill. Just 5 months into nan legislature term, she has already travel nether occurrence for yelling trans slurs connected nan House floor, hurling profanity astatine a constituent successful an Ulta store, and threatening a chap congresswoman to "take it outside" during a heated exchange.

And astir recently, Mace shocked colleagues by showing what she said was a screenshot of her "naked body" during a House subcommittee hearing.

On May 20, Mace delivered a reside astatine a proceeding for nan House Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation Subcommittee, titled “Breach of Trust: Surveillance successful Private Spaces."

During nan speech, Mace — who accused her erstwhile fiancé, Patrick Bryant, and 3 different men of rape and intersexual misconduct in a astir hour-long reside connected nan House level connected Feb. 10 — recalled an alleged incident successful which she said Bryant group up a "secret camera" without her knowledge.

Speaking successful beforehand of a achromatic and achromatic screenshot, Mace pointed retired nan silhouette of a assemblage circled successful yellowish opinionated connected nan correct broadside of nan screen.

“Behind maine is simply a screenshot from 1 of nan videos I recovered of myself. The yellowish circle, this naked silhouette, is my naked body," she claimed. “I didn’t cognize that I had been filmed. I didn’t springiness my consent. I didn’t springiness my permission."

The congresswoman went connected to declare that her ex had secretly filmed her and saved nan video "for complete 3 years," allegedly without her knowing. She besides claimed that he had filmed different women "without their knowledge, without their permission, and without their consent."

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Bryant has many times denied Mace's allegations. Following her May 20 remarks, he shared a connection on Facebook, insisting, "I categorically contradict nan mendacious and outrageous claims made by Nancy Mace. I person ne'er raped anyone. I person ne'er hidden cameras. I person ne'er harmed immoderate woman. These accusations are not conscionable false— they are malicious and profoundly personal."

"My correction was loving and trusting personification who later weaponized our relationship," he continued. "Nancy Mace made these claims only while opinionated successful Congress, purportedly shielded by ineligible immunity. If she believed them to beryllium existent and location was grounds to support her accusations, she would opportunity them extracurricular nan chamber, distant from her nationalist domiciled and protections, and prosecute them done due ineligible channels. She has not done so, because she cannot."

Bryant's connection concluded, "Her allegations are perfectly baseless. And, I will, astatine nan correct time, do immoderate is basal and due to clear my name, to beryllium my integrity, and to reconstruct my estimation successful nan community."