Congresswoman Nancy Mace is irate that she was asked a question that, quite honestly, every Trump supporter should be asked.
Remember that a jury found Trump to be liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll. (In a somewhat normal society, that would disqualify anyone from becoming president but that dream is long gone.) That means that according to the U.S. legal system, the former president and the Republican Party’s current presidential nominee is a sexual abuser. Those are the facts.
But Representative Mace of South Carolina, best known for misremembering the plot of The Scarlet Letter, seems to think none of that matters. She has been going off about ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos for his recent line of questioning during her recent appearance on his show.
During Sunday’s episode of This Week, Stephanopoulos pressed her about Trump’s actions, asking her, “You don’t find it offensive that Donald Trump has been found liable for rape?” First, thank you to him for bringing this up directly, to a Trump supporter’s face. Again, everyone should be doing this. We should force them to answer. Mace responded, “I find it offensive as a rape victim that you’re trying to shame me for my political choices.” Hypocrisy at its finest.
It didn’t stop at that interview, however. Mace took to social media to continue complaining. She posted a slew of tweets, one of which stated: “It has been 3 days since George Shame-a-lot-of-us made a mockery of rape victims on national television. Neither he nor the female leadership from the @ABC network has apologized or condemned his behavior.” Why is she so offended by being asked about a politician’s character to begin with? Those running for office, especially the Presidency, are heavily critiqued, as they should be. Why does Mace think Trump’s legal and personal woes, including something as severe as sexual abuse, should be off limits? Maybe she thinks they should just be off limits to her.
Being a survivor of sexual abuse of any kind is traumatic and complicated. I understand that you may not want to discuss it. However, if you are a public figure, publicly supporting an abuser for the highest office in the land, I absolutely think that’s worth questioning. Also, importantly, Stephanopoulos did not ask Mace about her assault. He asked her about her hypocrisy.
Mace has been very vocal in saying she supports victims of sexual assault, but when it suits her, she chooses to support an abuser. She told Stephanopoulos she had been shamed for years about her assault and proceeds to shame Carroll for not fitting her idea of a perfect victim, condemning the writer for making jokes about her own trauma and otherwise behaving in ways that Mace doesn’t deem appropriate for a survivor. She also went so far as to suggest Carroll’s legal victory didn’t carry any weight or even really prove the abuse happened because it happened in civil court, not criminal.
Openly supporting an abusive monster like Trump is disgusting enough. And yes, it is disgraceful that someone who has experienced abuse would support someone who has engaged in that behavior and then also lashed out at someone trying to hold them accountable. Actions have consequences and Mace should have to explain her hypocrisy. She isn’t the only one though. Every person who supports Trump should own up to it and admit that his criminal behavior, and his moral failings, are just not as important to them as whatever power they’re set to gain from his presidency.
(featured image: Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Congressional Integrity Project)
