Here’s the short version: Patrick Bryant, the former fiancé of Rep. Nancy Mace, has filed a lawsuit alleging that Mace manufactured sexual assault claims and pushed them into a separate Jane Doe lawsuit. Bryant says the accusations were concocted with an associate’s estranged wife and that he is the one harmed by the false narrative. Mace has publicly pushed back, framing the legal fight as another episode of a man trying to weaponize the courts and dodge accountability. The case now centers on dueling claims—one side accusing a congresswoman of a frame-up, the other accusing a man of using litigation as a strategy.
Bryant’s complaint argues that the May suit brought by a Jane Doe was based on lies and manipulation rather than facts. He says the original claim, which alleged an assault in 2018 at a mutual acquaintance’s home, was planted and amplified by people with personal motives. From a conservative point of view, the key question is whether political or personal grudges are being repurposed into legal battles to wreck reputations.
The initial allegation described an attack allegedly filmed at the home of Eric Bowman and later referenced publicly on the House floor. Mace mentioned the matter during a speech earlier this year, which pulled the whole episode into the political spotlight. That attention raised the stakes fast, turning a private dispute into a public and highly political clash.
According to Bryant, the allegations were not organic; they were assembled by people close to the situation to hurt him during a breakup. He says Mace suspected infidelity, tried to access his phone, and then used those suspicions to build leverage in their separation. The relationship ended in November 2023, and the aftermath now plays out in papers filed in court.
Bryant claims Mace worked with Bowman’s estranged wife to convince the Jane Doe that a video existed showing a “gang rape” on Bryant’s phone, a dramatic story that, if true, would be devastating. The woman at the center of the Doe filing reportedly said she did not remember the alleged event, yet the narrative moved forward anyway. That discrepancy is central to Bryant’s argument that he has been publicly smeared without reliable evidence.
“What Mace did not tell Doe is that she concocted an entire false narrative of an assault, to blackmail Bryant, gain leverage in their separation proceedings, and try to ruin Bryant for her personal gain,” the lawsuit reportedly said. That passage, presented in the complaint, accuses Mace of deliberately creating a story designed to damage one person for private advantage.
Bryant is seeking redress for what he calls defamation, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and he wants the court to declare the prior claims baseless. From a conservative standpoint, there is a real concern about people weaponizing civil suits for leverage, and the courts should make a clear-eyed ruling on the facts rather than on political noise. The legal filings now demand evidence, sworn testimony and accountability.
“Just saw the third-party complaint from Patrick Bryant,” on Thursday. “It’s almost as if this alleged rapist and peeping tom is trying to write me another check. I just got him sanctioned in court. And rape victim Jane Doe and I are still waiting on him to pay our legal fees after he weaponized the court against us.”
“I will file a motion to dismiss and counter claim abuse of process, conspiracy, and you guessed it — more attorney fees,” she added.
https://x.com/RepNancyMace/status/1986546482279789032
Graduate Student, wife, engaged political and legal writer.