Remember the story about the boy who cried wolf so many times that people stopped believing him? Do you remember its end? Yes, that’s right, there actually was a wolf.
And so we find ourselves thinking of this tale after the stunning, fiery Monday night speech on the U.S. House floor by our Republican congresswoman, Nancy Mace, who accused her ex-fiance and three other men of all sorts of predatory deeds, which they have denied.
Mace long has been a lightning bug for television cameras. There are cartoons and jokes that pillory her for having a nauseating thirst for the media spotlight.
And now she is crying wolf after years of hype that cause many to close their ears. But don’t. As a society, we can’t afford not to consider the venal allegations she made in a nearly hour-long speech. We have to ask, “What if there is a wolf, or wolves here?” despite wholesale denials by those accused.
That’s why it is of utmost importance for investigators to get to the bottom of the story. And soon. They’ve had at least 14 months, so far. You’d think they’d pay a bit more attention to a sitting member of Congress. At least also on Monday, the State Law Enforcement Division confirmed that Mace’s former fiance, Patrick Bryant of the Charleston area, is a subject in an active investigation into allegations of assault, harassment and voyeurism. And since Dec. 14, 2023, “SLED has conducted multiple interviews, served multiple search warrants and has a well-documented case file that will be available for release upon the conclusion of the case,” a SLED spokesman said.
What’s puzzling about this week’s firestorm is exactly why it was done, especially since an investigation is underway. In fact, Mace’s Monday speech seems to raise more questions than were answered. For example:
- Why didn’t Mace wait for the investigation to conclude before going public?
- Wouldn’t it have been better to leak the story to the press about the investigation to put pressure on authorities to move it along? Then she could have gone to the House floor and announced the tip line to help any victim of abuse get help.
- With the speech text being released to some media before the actual speech, will she have the liability immunity that speeches on the House floor offer?
- Why did she go after S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson before the results of an investigation have concluded and gone to any prosecutor? Wilson has denied receiving information about the case and says he’s not been involved. Was Mace’s criticism of him purely intended to damage his expected gubernatorial bid in 2026?
Isaac Bailey, a South Carolina-based columnist, wrote he “wished she had spent more time previously proving herself trustworthy rather than someone obsessed with attention for attention’s sake. … I do know, however, that the issues she raised are problems that continue vexing society.”
Agreed. And if anything related to this whole sordid incident is as Mace claims, law enforcement authorities need to issue charges and prosecutors need to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.
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