Rep. Nancy Mace is facing legal action if she does not retract sexual assault allegations she leveled against four men during an inflammatory House floor speech in early February.
“Brian does not have the luxury of a bully pulpit in the form of floor of Congress to address the many accusations you leveled against him on February 10, 2025,” a lawyer for one of the accused men, Brian Musgrave, wrote in a cease-and-desist letter to the South Carolina Republican lawmaker on Thursday.
Mace claimed in her Feb. 10 remarks that she had turned over “evidence of peeping Toms, evidence of rape, evidence of voyeurism, evidence of sex trafficking, and who knows, probably a whole heck of a lot more crimes.” She displayed a poster featuring her former fiancé, Patrick Bryant, alongside his business associates John Osborne, Eric Bowman, and Musgrave.
Following her speech, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division confirmed it is investigating claims made against Bryant. But law enforcement officials did not name the other three men as part of their investigation.
Bowman asserted his innocence to The Post and Courier, saying he recently sat for an interview with state law enforcement officials and was told he is not a subject of their investigation.
The legal letter on behalf of Musgrave calls on Mace to either provide the evidence she claims to have, or publicly retract and apologize for her remarks. “You may view the floor of Congress as a sanctuary for slander. We do not,” Musgrave’s lawyers wrote in the letter.
Mace’s speech came as a shock, even to those who know her as an attention seeker.
“You will not get away with it,” Mace said in her address. “None of you will. Because tonight is about justice for me. And tonight is about justice for all of the women that you all raped, that you all filmed, that you photographed, that you all abused for years.”
Mace, who is mulling a run for governor of South Carolina, also took aim at the state’s attorney general, who is also rumored to be considering a gubernatorial bid.
When asked for comment, Mace’s office referred the Daily Beast to her Feb. 11 remarks, in which she accused the men of drugging, raping, and filming women—some of whom she claimed were underage—without their consent.
A source close to Mace told the Daily Beast, “This letter is witness intimidation. They know she is a victim, and they know there is an investigation. They probably should not be communicating with her, let alone threatening her in writing. This letter admits he owns the property, knew a camera existed, and knew a camera was filming people. Airbnb might want to know this, since it was an unknown short-term rental.”
Bowman also lashed out at Mace’s on social media, accusing her and his ex-girlfriend, Melissa Bowman, of deliberately spreading misinformation. He claimed that Mace is attempting to use the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause—which provides legal immunity for statements made during congressional speeches—to shield herself.
Bryant, the congresswoman’s ex-fiancé, echoed Bowman’s sentiments, telling the Daily Beast that Mace is “blatantly using congressional privilege under the Speech and Debate Clause for political gain and to destroy reputations.”
“The relentless spread of lies about me and others by Nancy Mace is devastatingly harmful, but sadly, that is clearly her goal,” he said. “I loved her and am deeply hurt by this. Her false accusations against me and others are nothing more than an effort to further her political career.”
“I vehemently deny all of her criminal allegations,” Bryant added. “This has been and continues to be painful for my family, and these lies must end immediately. She cannot be trusted.”
Osborne has also denied any wrongdoing.
