Prosecutors drop charge against man who Rep. Nancy Mace accused of assaulting her at the Capitol
Prosecutors dropped the misdemeanor assault charge against foster-care advocate James McIntyre, whom Mace had accused of 'physically accosting' her at a December 2024 Capitol event. Three eyewitnesses said McIntyre had simply shaken her hand. The dismissal drew wide coverage, which characterized the charge's collapse as undercutting Mace's account.
"I filed charges, and they were inexplicably ignored. But I will not be. I will not back down.", Rep. Nancy Mace, statement
NBC News reported on April 2, 2025 that federal prosecutors had dropped the misdemeanor assault charge against James McIntyre, a foster-care advocate from Illinois who Mace had accused of "physically accosting" her at a Capitol event in December 2024. The prosecution's decision not to proceed came after three eyewitnesses described the interaction as a handshake and a request that Mace support transgender youth, not a physical assault.
McIntyre, who had been arrested and briefly jailed on Mace's account, responded directly to the dismissal:
"By falsely accusing me of a violent crime and having me jailed, Congresswoman Mace demonstrated her desire to criminalize anyone who advocates for the needs of our trans youth.", James McIntyre, as reported by CNN companion piece
Mace did not accept the dismissal as the end of the matter, issuing a statement that framed prosecutors as having failed her and signaling she intended to continue pressing her account. She disputes that her characterization of the incident was false.
The dropped charge followed earlier reporting by The New Republic and HuffPost in which multiple eyewitnesses described the encounter as a routine handshake. Mace had responded to that coverage in December 2024 by threatening defamation suits against media outlets that questioned her account.
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