Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) is facing a House Ethics Committee investigation for allegedly engaging in “improper reimbursement practices” that led to the congresswoman receiving more money than her actual total amount of expenses.
According to a report released Monday, the Office of Congressional Conduct found enough evidence to suggest Mace sought reimbursements that “exceeded her reimbursable expenses incurred.”
“If Rep. Mace engaged in improper reimbursement practices, then she may have violated House rules, standards of conduct, and federal law,” the office wrote in its report.
Mace is running for governor of South Carolina in this year’s GOP primary. An early February poll from National Public Affairs shows Mace trailing Attorney General Alan Wilson, 17% to 23%. Another poll from Targoz Market Research late January to early February found Mace leading the field with 18%, compared to Wilson’s 12%.
Per the report, Mace used a House program that provides reimbursements while on official business in Washington, D.C. She sought reimbursements for most months between January 2023 and September 2024. During that time, she stayed in a home she owned with her then-fiancé, Brendan Patrick Bryant.
Under the program, she could seek reimbursements for costs such as utilities, homeowners’ association fees, insurance, and travel-related taxes. The figure could not be more than the total housing expenses incurred that month. But after reviewing invoices and documents, the OCC determined there were discrepancies between the amounts requested and received by Mace for reimbursement and the total of the associated bills.
“In 2023, Rep. Mace’s requests for reimbursement exceeded the total of the DC Property’s expenses in January, February, March, May, June, September, October, and November. In 2024, Rep. Mace’s requests for reimbursement exceeded the total of the DC Property’s expenses in January, March, April, and May—amounting to an excess of $9,485.46,” the OCC found.
March 2, 2026, OCC Nancy Mace reimbursement report by web-producers
The House Ethics Committee plans to review the matter, noting in a press release that conducting a review of the referral from the OCC “does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.”
Mace’s counsel, William Sullivan, called the referral report “fundamentally flawed” in a letter to the House Ethics Committee’s chief counsel. Sullivan claimed the narrative includes “unverified assertions and referrals” that may have been influenced by Bryant.
The congresswoman accused Bryant and several other men of sexual abuse on the House floor in a bombshell speech last February. Sullivan called relying on information from Byrant “deeply problematic.
“The OCC was informed of Bryant’s relationship with the congresswoman and his documented history of abusive and retaliatory conduct toward her,” Sullivan wrote. “Counsel repeatedly raised these credibility concerns and requested transparency regarding the sources of information the OCC relied upon and which the OCC never provided. This lack of lucidity deprived the Congresswoman of any meaningful opportunity to assess or respond to the information underlying those assertions.”
Sullivan added Mace was working in good faith with the OCC but using the alleged information from Bryant “raises additional questions about the completeness and legitimacy of the factual record supporting the referral” to the ethics panel. Per the OCC, Mace refused to cooperate with the office’s review.
The ethics investigation comes as Mace is leading the charge to publicly release all of the panel’s reports on congressional sexual harassment investigations. Her push comes after explicit text messages were released showing evidence that Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) had an alleged affair with his former staffer, who died by suicide last year. Gonzales says he will not resign despite calls from his fellow Republicans to do so.
“The reason that no one is ever held accountable here in Congress for their transgressions is because both sides protect the other,” Mace said in a video published last week.
PRESSURE MOUNTS ON TONY GONZALES TO STEP DOWN OVER SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MESSAGES TO LATE STAFFER
Under her resolution, if adopted, the Ethics Committee would have to preserve and publicly release all reports tied to investigations into members accused of sexual harassment toward staffers or engaging in relationships with staffers within 60 days.
The Ethics Committee is currently awaiting a report from the OCC, which concluded its investigation into Gonzales, for transfer. The report cannot be transmitted to the panel until after the primary on Tuesday under the OCC’s rules. That report, under law, must be made public within 45 days of referring it to the Ethics Committee, unless the panel votes to extend its investigation by another 45 days.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Mace for comment.
