In a sworn deposition, Wesley Donehue, a political strategist and former campaign advisor, has accused Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC) of contemplating the use of explicit images to blackmail her ex-fiancé, Patrick Bryant. This allegation adds a dramatic layer to the ongoing conflict over jointly owned real estate.
The deposition, reviewed by Just the News, reveals that Mace discovered nude photos of other women on Bryant's phone and considered using them as leverage in a contentious property dispute. According to Donehue, Mace held onto this information for over a year without contacting authorities, asking Donehue to assist in the blackmail against Bryant to claim ownership of two homes they owned together. "She sat on that information for well over a year, did not wanna contact authorities, and asked me to blackmail Patrick Bryant," Donehue testified.
Donehue's testimony paints a picture of a personal relationship that heavily influenced professional conduct, stating, "More so than any client I’ve ever worked with, Nancy blurred the lines between personal and official." Despite expressing fear for her safety to Donehue and showing him the compromising images in November 2023, Mace nonetheless proceeded to vacation with Bryant in the Caribbean shortly after.
The situation grew more complex when Mace took to the House floor in February to accuse Bryant and three other men of abuse and non-consensual recordings of sexual acts. She claimed to have found over 10,000 videos and images on Bryant's phone, some allegedly involving rape and trafficking. Bryant and the other accused men have denied these allegations, with one filing a defamation lawsuit against Mace.
Despite the severity of her claims, Donehue confirmed that Mace did not report the matter to law enforcement at the time. It was not until after her public accusations that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) launched an investigation into Bryant for assault, harassment, and voyeurism. SLED described the case as "complex" and plans to turn over a file to a prosecutor upon completion of the investigation.
In a separate claim, Donehue corroborated reports that Mace has engaged in online tactics such as setting up burner accounts and programming bots on social media platforms for self-defense. During a recent House Oversight hearing, Mace displayed a nude photo of herself, which she asserted was taken without her consent by Bryant and kept for over three years.
As the story unfolds, Mace has not publicly addressed the new accusations. Donehue expressed his reluctance to be involved in legal proceedings, explaining that he was subpoenaed to testify. "I hope we can soon move past the soap opera drama," he stated to FITSNews.
The allegations against Mace have sparked a flurry of online commentary, with users like Dittie (@DittiePE) expressing unsurprised condemnation of the congresswoman on social media platforms like Twitter.
