Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC) went off the rails when George Stephanopoulos asked her to clarify how she, a rape victim, supports Donald Trump.
It’s worth reading the full transcript of the exchange to see how Rep. Mace handled the issue.
Video:
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Transcript via ABC’s This Week:
STEPHANOPOULOS: Congresswoman, thank you for joining us this morning.
You supported Donald Trump for president. Judges on two separate juries found him responsible for rape and defamation of a victim of that rape. How do you reconcile your support for Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?
MACE: Well, I’ll tell you, I was raped at the age of 16, and any rape victim will tell you, I lived for 30 years with incredible shame over having been raped. I didn’t come forward because of the judgment and shame I felt.
And it’s a shame you’ll never try, George, and I’m not going to sit here on your show and not be asked a question intended to shame me on another potential rape victim. I will not do that.
STEPHANOPOULOS: It’s actually not about shaming you. It’s a question about Donald Trump.
MACE: No, you’re making me feel ashamed.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You endorsed Donald Trump for president.
MACE: Right.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Donald Trump was found responsible for rape by a jury. Donald Trump was found liable for defaming the victim of that rape by a jury. A judge said so. He repeated-
MACE: It’s not a criminal case, number one. Number two, I live in shame and you ask me a question about my political choices trying to shame me as a rape victim and finding it disgusting.
And frankly, E. Jean Carroll’s comments when she received the judgment, joking about what she was going to buy, that’s not the case: It makes it harder for women to come forward when they’re making fun of rape, when they’re joking about it. That’s no good.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Doesn’t it make it harder for women to come forward when they’re vilified by presidential candidates?
MACE: It makes it harder when other women joke about it and she jokes about it. I find it offensive. And I also find it offensive that you are trying to shame me with this question.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m not trying to shame you at all. Indeed –
MACE: You are. I’ve been doing this for 30 years. You know how hard it was to tell my story five years ago when they were doing a fetal heart rate count, when there were no exceptions for rape or incest or life – or – and – rape or incest there inside? I had to tell my story because no other woman would come forward.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m just asking…
MACE: No rape victims were represented. And this morning you’re trying to shame me.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m just asking…
MACE: And I find it offensive. And that’s why women don’t come forward.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Women don’t come forward because they are vilified by those who perpetrate rape. Donald Trump was…
MACE: They get judged and they get shamed, and you’re trying to shame me this morning. I think it’s disgusting.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I – I’m not – I’m not shaming you at all. I called you brave.
Stephanopoulos asked Rep, Mace a logical question. He wanted to understand why she, as a rape victim, supports Donald Trump, and Mace tried to claim that she was ashamed.
Mace also attacked another rape victim and appears to argue that sentences regarding rape in a civil court somehow don’t matter, as the only verdicts that matter are made in a criminal court.
George Stephanopoulos didn’t shame Nancy Mace, but Congressman Mace attacked E. Jean Carroll and downplayed what happened to her.
Rape is rape regardless of whether that decision is made in civil or criminal court. The reality is that a man found responsible for raping a woman should not be president of the United States.
Nancy Mace is an elected member of Congress, so her decision-making should be open to question. Stephanopoulos was not attacking or shaming Rep. Mace. She was asking about her way of thinking, and what she got was a glimpse into an insensitive, calculating person who seemed more interested in attracting attention and creating a viral moment for herself than providing honest insight into the her choices.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House press pool and a congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
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