WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a deeply emotional moment on Capitol Hill, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) left a closed-door meeting with Epstein survivors visibly shaken, openly weeping, and later revealing she suffered a “full blown panic attack” during the victims’ harrowing testimony.
The House Oversight Committee met privately this week with six survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous sex trafficking ring. The session was part of an ongoing investigation into the federal government’s mishandling of the Epstein case — one of the most disturbing failures of the justice system in modern memory. For Rep. Mace, who has previously revealed her own experience as a recent victim of sexual assault, the accounts shared behind those closed doors proved overwhelmingly traumatic.
Rep. Nancy Mace was visibly upset as she left the meeting with Epstein survivors at the Capitol. She declined to answer questions from reporters. pic.twitter.com/chEHwW9Ypt
— Kristen Eskow (@KristenEskow) September 2, 2025
Mace was seen on camera walking swiftly down a hallway packed with reporters, wiping tears from her eyes and declining to comment. The normally composed South Carolina Republican later addressed the incident on X, posting:
“As a recent survivor (not 2 years in), I had a very difficult time listening to their stories. Full blown panic attack. Sweating. Hyperventilating. Shaking. I can’t breathe.”
She added:
“I feel the immense pain of how hard all victims are fighting for themselves because we know absolutely no one will fight for us. GOD BLESS ALL SURVIVORS.”
The meeting with survivors lasted roughly two hours and included key House leaders, such as Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA). According to Johnson, lawmakers were briefed on new “names of interest” who could be pivotal in exposing the full extent of Epstein’s network — a web that has long included ties to elites across politics, business, and media.
“There was outrage,” Speaker Johnson told reporters. “It was both — I would describe it as heartbreaking and infuriating. That justice has been delayed so long.”
Mace’s recent advocacy comes on the heels of a bombshell floor speech she gave earlier this year, where she accused her ex-fiancé, Patrick Bryant, and three other men of committing sexual abuse, including rape and voyeurism. Her revelations included the discovery of over 10,000 explicit videos and photos, reportedly found on Bryant’s phone. All accused parties have denied the allegations.
Her personal connection to the fight for justice for victims of sexual abuse has propelled her into a leadership role in the effort to force full transparency in the Epstein case.
Mace has now joined fellow conservatives — including Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) — in signing a discharge petition aimed at compelling the Department of Justice to release all Epstein-related files. The bipartisan push, co-led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), needs 218 signatures to trigger a House vote.
With new footage and documents continuing to surface — including disturbing videos from Epstein’s Palm Beach estate featuring nude photographs and prominent figures — the urgency to unseal the government’s records is only growing. Meanwhile, Epstein’s death in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019, under suspicious circumstances, has done little to satisfy public demand for accountability.
