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Nancy Mace owns George Stephanopoulos for using her rape to shame her for endorsing Trump: 'Complete and total POS'
March 11, 2024
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) refuses to be shamed for endorsing Donald Trump.
On Sunday, ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos used Mace's own traumatic experience as a rape victim to question her support for Trump.
Stephanopoulos, a former top adviser to Bill Clinton, framed his question by citing E. Jean Carroll's accusations against the former president. Carroll claims Trump raped her in the mid-1990s, an accusation she didn't come forward with until 2019. Still, a civil jury last year found Trump liable of sexual abuse. Trump has never been convicted in criminal court — let alone charged criminally in the case — and he maintains his innocence.
But Mace had zero patience for Stephanopoulos' political games.
"I was raped at the age of 16. And any rape victim will tell you — I've lived for 30 years with an incredible amount of shame over being raped. I didn't come forward because of that judgment and shame that I felt. And it's a shame that you will never feel, George. And I'm not going to sit here on your show and be asked a question meant to shame me about another potential rape victim," she responded.
"It's actually not about shaming you," Stephanopoulos protested.
"No, you are shaming me!" Mace shot back.
Stephanopoulos, however, defended his question, claiming it is justified because Mace has endorsed Trump for president, and he has been found civilly liable of sexual abuse.
"It's not a criminal court case, number one," Mace answered. "Number two, I live with shame, and you're asking me a question about my political choices, trying to shame me as a rape victim, and I find it disgusting."
Over the next several minutes, Stephanopoulos continued to defend his question while Mace accused him of using her rape to shame her for her political decisions.
"You're questioning my political choices because I've been raped," Mace said. "And I think it's disgusting."
Mace is right. The suggestion implicit in Stephanopoulos' question is that her political support for Trump contradicts her experience as a rape victim.
But as Mace correctly pointed out, Stephanopoulos repeatedly got the facts wrong.
Trump was not found "guilty" of anything, nor did a New York civil jury find Trump liable of rape. In fact, the jury specifically found Trump not liable for rape. Instead, the jury found him liable of sexual abuse. These are important distinctions.
Moreover, the burden of proof in the Carroll civil case on the question of rape or sexual abuse was "a preponderance of the evidence," a much lower evidentiary standard than "beyond a reasonable doubt" or "by clear and convincing evidence." This means Carroll had to convince a jury there was a greater than 50% chance that her claim was true. There are important reasons why this burden of proof is not used in criminal court.
After Mace highlighted the civil versus criminal distinction, Stephanopoulos shockingly told Mace that she is "very comfortable with what Donald Trump has done."
Hours after the interview, Mace blasted Stephanopoulos on social media, pointing out the incongruities of being lectured by a man who worked for Bill Clinton of all people.
"I don't need rape explained to me by a man and liberal Clinton fan who wants to make this election about rape. It's disgusting," Mace said.
"I'm not going to be shamed for being raped by a guy who worked for a President who wagged his finger and lied to the American people about having oral sex with an intern in the Oval Office" she said in another post.
Stephanopoulos, Mace added, is "a complete and total POS."
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Staff Writer
Chris Enloe is a staff writer for Blaze News
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