Israel evacuation missions and the White House clash (March 2026)
Rep. Mace made two trips to the Middle East in March 2026, embedding with veteran nonprofit Grey Bull Rescue to evacuate stranded Americans during the Israel, Iran war. 155 Americans including 11 infants were evacuated on the first trip. Anonymous White House officials accused her of conducting unauthorized outreach to Saudi Arabia and staging the missions for political gain; she denied this, and Grey Bull's founder called her 'fully embedded … to work to save lives.'
During the 2026 Israel, Iran war, following the Trump administration's "Operation Epic Fury," launched February 28, 2026, Rep. Nancy Mace made two solo trips to the Middle East, embedding with Tampa-based veteran nonprofit Grey Bull Rescue. The missions evacuated hundreds of stranded Americans and drew sharp, anonymous criticism from White House and State Department officials. Both sides' accounts are contested; the record below reflects what each party stated publicly.
Background. Grey Bull Rescue is a crisis-response organization led by founder and CEO Bryan Stern, a veteran who has described the nonprofit as conducting humanitarian extractions in active conflict zones. The organization characterized the Israel operation as its "808th mission."
The first trip (March 2026). Mace departed for the region around March 8, 2026, after a stranded South Carolina constituent family contacted her office seeking help. She worked to secure a DHS/State Department-chartered plane to carry out the airlift. On March 11-12, 2026, 155 Americans, including 11 infants, were flown out of Israel to Greece. Journalist Christopher Cuomo was reportedly among those on a flight. Mace described her role in a statement carried by Fox News: "They had the people but didn't have the plane. I jumped in to assist." She posted on X on March 12: "I left Israel last night on a flight full of Americans."
Fox News coverage of Mace's announcement that she helped airlift 155 Americans from Israel, March 2026.
The second trip (March 2026). Mace returned to the region for a second Middle East trip, this time helping a South Carolina family, a mother and four sons, ages approximately 12 to 22, travel out through Jordan. She told WSAV/Yahoo: "I have a manifest right now list of over 2,000 Americans that are stranded, ready to get out." She returned approximately March 19-20, 2026; WTOC reported on her return.
Mace's own words: "They had the people but didn't have the plane. I jumped in to assist.", March 2026.
The White House dispute. On March 18, 2026, The Guardian, picked up by Raw Story and WTOC, reported that anonymous White House and State Department officials were described as "seething" over the missions. No named official went on record. The anonymous objections, as reported by The Guardian, were threefold: first, that Mace contacted the Saudi government directly without notifying the State Department, then asked the administration to requisition a Saudi commercial plane for approximately 300 people; second, that she urged Americans to relocate to Jordan without a secured onward flight, stranding a group the State Department then had to retrieve; and third, that the missions were conducted "for political gain" as she was running for South Carolina governor. One unidentified official was quoted: "If members of Congress want to be helpful they should work with the administration instead of trying to exploit the situation for political gain." Every official quoted in these accounts is anonymous; no named White House or State Department official has put any objection on the record.
Mace's response and Grey Bull's account. Mace said she kept the State Department informed throughout both trips and that State approved the DHS-chartered plane. Bryan Stern, founder and CEO of Grey Bull Rescue, pushed back directly on the characterization of Mace's role: "Congresswoman Mace was fully embedded with our team, not to watch, but to work to save lives." (Fox News)
A separate allegation against Grey Bull. Separately from the White House dispute, a mother identified as Dr. Lauren Hofstatter was reported to have publicly alleged that Grey Bull demanded approximately $1 million be raised before returning her daughter from Jordan, reportedly characterizing the demand as "embezzlement and extortion." Grey Bull briefly suspended operations. Bryan Stern denied the accusation; Mace publicly defended the organization. This is a public allegation by a private individual, it has not been adjudicated, and both Stern and Mace dispute it.
Context. The dispute with the White House unfolded against the backdrop of Mace's ongoing public feud with the Trump administration over the Epstein files; President Trump had endorsed her primary rival, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. Mace lost the June 10, 2026 South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary, finishing fifth.
Sources
- Fox News, "See it: Nancy Mace says she 'jumped in' to assist Americans airlifted from war zone amid Iran conflict"
- The Hill, "Mace evacuates Americans from Middle East"
- Live 5 News, "Rep. Nancy Mace helps evacuate 155 Americans from Israel amid Iran conflict"
- WTOC, "Nancy Mace returns from second Middle East trip focused on evacuations"
- WSAV / Yahoo News, "South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace…"
- Raw Story, White House officials reportedly "seething" over Mace missions
- mace.house.gov, "Rep. Nancy Mace Brings Stranded South Carolina Family Home From Iran Conflict, Helps Evacuate Additional Americans"
On the Record
Mace flies to Israel, helps secure plane, and evacuates 155 Americans, including 11 infants, to Greece
Rep. Nancy Mace traveled to Israel around March 8, 2026, after a stranded South Carolina constituent family asked for her help. Embedding with the veteran-led nonprofit Grey Bull Rescue, she helped secure a DHS/State Department-chartered plane. On March 12 she announced that 155 Americans, including 11 infants, had been flown out to Greece.
Anonymous White House officials blast Mace's Israel rescue missions as 'political gain'; Mace says she kept State informed throughout
The Guardian reported on March 18, 2026, picked up by Raw Story and WTOC, that unnamed Trump White House and State Department officials were furious at Rep. Nancy Mace over her two evacuation trips to Israel. The anonymous officials alleged she contacted the Saudi government without notifying State, asked the administration to requisition a Saudi plane for ~300 people, and urged Americans toward Jordan without secured onward travel. Mace's office said she kept State informed and that State approved the DHS plane. The dispute is unresolved and every government critic spoke anonymously.
Mace returns from a second Middle East trip with a 2,000-name manifest; separately, a mother publicly accuses Grey Bull Rescue of demanding $1M before returning her daughter
Around March 19-20, 2026, Rep. Nancy Mace completed a second evacuation trip, helping a South Carolina mother and her four sons travel out of Israel through Jordan. Mace said she held a manifest of over 2,000 stranded Americans. Separately, according to reporting attributed to Jewish Rhode Island and the Jerusalem Post, Dr. Lauren Hofstatter publicly accused Grey Bull Rescue, the nonprofit Mace embedded with, of demanding that approximately $1 million be raised before returning her daughter from Jordan. Grey Bull founder Bryan Stern denied the accusation. Mace defended the organization. The accusation is unadjudicated and is denied.