Republican Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina made a powerful and emotional statement during a House Oversight Committee hearing on Tuesday, May 20, by sharing images of her “naked silhouette” that she said were secretly recorded without her consent by her ex-fiancé, Patrick Bryant.
Mace displayed a blurry black-and-white screenshot from a security camera video, showing a figure she identified as herself circled in yellow. She told the committee, “Behind me is a screenshot from one of the videos I found of myself. The yellow circle, my naked silhouette, is my naked body. I didn’t know that I had been filmed. I didn’t give my consent. I didn’t give my permission.” The hearing focused on “surveillance in private spaces,” and Mace used the opportunity to call for stronger legislation to combat video voyeurism and protect victims of non-consensual recordings.
Addressing the committee, Mace said, “Freedom is not a theory. It is the right to breathe. It is the right to dress and undress, to sleep without someone’s camera filming your naked body. The Founders wrote liberty in parchment, but hidden cameras erase it in pixels.” She added, “I speak not just as a lawmaker, but as a survivor,” revealing her personal experience with sexual abuse and exploitation.
Mace’s allegations against her ex-fiancé Patrick Bryant are part of a broader accusation involving him and three of his business associates. She claims they engaged in a long-running scheme of secretly filming women, including underage girls, and committing sexual crimes such as rape, voyeurism, and sex trafficking. According to Mace, she discovered a cache of over 10,000 videos and photographs on Bryant’s phone, which included evidence of these abuses.
Bryant has vehemently denied all allegations, calling them “false and outrageous” and asserting that he has never harmed any woman or used hidden cameras. He accused Mace of weaponizing their past relationship and suggested she was using her position as a congresswoman to shield herself from legal consequences. Bryant stated that if Mace truly believed her claims, she would pursue them through proper legal channels outside the protections afforded by her legislative role.
Mace first publicly accused Bryant and others in a dramatic speech on the House floor earlier this year, describing the “depraved” acts she and other women endured. She has since been actively pushing for legislative reforms to expand prohibitions on video voyeurism and enhance protections for victims of such violations.
The South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division is currently investigating Mace’s allegations. Bryant has said he is fully cooperating with the probe.
Mace’s courageous testimony has drawn widespread attention to the issue of privacy violations and sexual abuse, highlighting the urgent need for stronger laws and greater accountability for perpetrators of non-consensual surveillance and sexual crimes. Her case also underscores the challenges survivors face when confronting powerful abusers and seeking justice.
As the investigation continues, Mace remains a vocal advocate for victims’ rights, using her platform in Congress to fight against voyeurism, exploitation, and abuse, and to promote a safer environment for all.
