Charleston, South Carolina — U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) is defending her actions toward officials before an early morning flight last week, stating that the reported incident resulted from frequent security failings at Charleston International Airport.
Speaking to reporters outside her office on Monday, Mace accused the airport’s own law enforcement agency, the Charleston Regional Aviation Authority, of failing to provide her with adequate security on several occasions.
“My safety has been jeopardized over 24 times at this airport,” she claimed, citing a recent flight on which she claims security was not at the gate when she arrived. “This has happened over and over again.”
Mace’s criticism of the airport comes after a report released last Friday indicated that the congresswoman displayed “irate” behavior, including using profanity and making disrespectful remarks about cops, including calling them “incompetent,” before an Oct. 30 trip.
According to Mace, a Republican candidate for governor in 2026, the report contains “multiple inaccuracies and false statements.”
According to the report, two officers from the Charleston Regional Aviation Authority Police Department were assigned to accompany Mace from the outdoor ticketing area to her flight shortly before 7 a.m., and they were waiting for her on the curb when they learned she would be running a few minutes late.
The airport provided surveillance footage that does not include audio, showing Mace departing a gray vehicle at 6:51 a.m. with no officers in sight.
The report stated that the lawmaker arrived in a different car than expected, a claim Mace disputes.
Text conversations obtained by News 2 show that Mace’s head of operations, Cameron Morabito, relayed information to airport security staff the day before, indicating that she would arrive in a silver BMW about 6:30 a.m.
According to the complaint, authorities were informed that Mace had already arrived at the security checkpoint and was waiting at the crewmember entry. Congressional members normally follow the standard TSA screening procedure, but may be granted extra concessions for safety reasons.
Morabito informed News 2 in an Oct. 31 statement that Mace’s security standards had been reinforced in response to persistent threats against her.
“After the world watched Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the threats against her have only intensified,” according to Morabito. “Our security procedures are based solely on legitimate safety concerns, and any attempt to politicize this reality is both dangerous and reckless.”
Surveillance footage showed the lawmaker waiting at the checkpoint for several minutes before three officers arrived to escort her. Separate narrative statements filed by the officers said that she continued to use profanity and complain about how she was treated as they approached the gate.
According to the report, Mace boarded her jet around 7:10 a.m., and officers waited at the gate until it departed.
According to a supplemental report, the officers met with a TSA supervisor, who stated that he was “very upset with how she acted at the checkpoint” and would be sending a report to his boss about her “unacceptable behavior.”
Mace did not dispute her conduct or the words she used, instead describing her evident irritation as the result of a “pattern of neglect and hostility” hurled at her.
“If there is an incompetent government employee at the airport expecting an apology this morning, you are not going to get it,” she told me.
“I absolutely, 100%, confronted the airport employees who put my safety at risk,” she told me afterwards. “Did I drop the ‘F’ bomb? I hope I did. Did I say they were incompetent? If I didn’t, they definitely deserved it.”
On Monday, the lawmaker demanded an immediate investigation into the incident and disciplinary action against those responsible, including President and CEO Elliott Summey.
“I demand accountability for those who have jeopardized my safety. “They shouldn’t work at the airport,” she replied. “If the airport leadership won’t protect me, they need to be replaced by individuals who will.”
In a Nov. 3 statement to News 2, Summey stated that the safety and security of travelers, elected leaders, and those transiting through the airport is the “highest priority.”
“I take this responsibility with the utmost seriousness,” he said later. “Every day, the men and women of our police department display professionalism, attentiveness, and dedication while carrying out their job of serving and protecting. Their commitment to upholding the greatest safety standards enables us to continue offering a world-class travel experience to our community and visitors from all over the world.”
Summey disclosed that he is “deeply grateful for their service and the vital role they play in keeping Charleston International Airport safe, secure, and operational around the clock.”
“I want to be clear: I wholeheartedly support the men and women of the Charleston Regional Aviation Authority, TSA, Customs and Border Protection, and Joint Base Charleston for their hard work and dedication,” he told reporters.
Details of the alleged event soon circulated on social media, eliciting criticism from two of her Republican gubernatorial primary opponents.
Attorney General Alan Wilson criticized Mace’s alleged actions as “dangerous, entitled, and beneath the dignity of public office.”
“At best she had an entitled temper tantrum, and at worst she showed a disturbing willingness to weaponize power against law enforcement when she does not get her way,” Wilson told reporters on Nov. 3. “She must apologize immediately to the men and women who protect the public every day, stop attacking those who refuse to bow to her demands with profanity laced tirades.”
According to a campaign spokesperson for Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, the reported event demonstrates that Mace “only cares about one person: Nancy Mace.”
“While our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect us, Nancy Mace is busy throwing tantrums and cursing them out,” Matthew Goins stated in a statement released on November 1. “That’s not leadership; it’s entitlement. “South Carolina deserves better than a privileged politician who believes the rules do not apply to her.”
