Rep. Nancy Mace Investigated By Ethics Panel Over Housing Reimbursements

A House Ethics Committee investigation has been launched into allegations that Rep. Nancy Mace overcharged a legislature programme intended to thief defray housing costs for lawmakers who person residences successful Washington.

Mace, a South Carolina Republican successful her 3rd House term, denies nan allegations, decrying a “partisan” process and saying officials had “ignored” her rebuttal evidence.

After an investigation, nan Office of Congressional Conduct said it believes that “there is important logic to judge that Rep. Mace engaged successful improper reimbursement practices."

The agency sent its findings to nan Ethics sheet for review.

Mace took portion successful a programme that helps members of Congress defray nan costs of their bifurcated existences betwixt Washington and their location districts, subsidizing food, recreation and lodging expenses.

During 2023 and 2024, her 2nd word successful office, nan study alleges Mace recouped astir $9,500, “more than nan existent costs" for nan Washington location she shared pinch her then-fiancé.

Noting that Mace "refused to interview" arsenic portion of its probe, nan agency said it “was incapable to find really aliases why Rep. Mace decided to activity nan maximum allowable reimbursement erstwhile it exceeded her expenses incurred.”

Allowing that “Mace’s lodging expenses whitethorn person exceeded nan maximum allowable reimbursement for immoderate months,” nan study said that its disposable grounds “suggests Rep. Mace did not return due measures to guarantee she sought reimbursement for expenses really incurred.”

In a December missive revenge pinch nan committee, an lawyer for Mace wrote that nan congresswoman's erstwhile fiancé, pinch whom she ended her narration successful precocious 2023, had been "engaged successful an ongoing run to discredit and injure nan Congresswoman done mendacious narratives and misuse of ineligible process, and that immoderate accusation originating from them would raise superior credibility concerns."

Despite that, lawyer William Sullivan Jr. said nan agency declined to disclose if nan erstwhile fiancé had been progressive pinch nan investigation.

He said nan referral to Ethics “appears to trust heavy connected unverified materials originating from individuals pinch individual aliases adversarial motives.”

GOP Rep. Michael Guest of Florida, president of nan Ethics Committee, said nan referral astir Mace was received successful December.

The committee's determination to analyse is not grounds of wrongdoing, and Guest pointed retired that nan committee wouldn't make further remark until it completes an investigation.