Foster care advocate challenges claim that Rep. Nancy Mace was 'physically accosted'

A foster care advocate is challenging Rep. Nancy Mace's account that she was "physically accosted" by a man who was arrested at the Capitol on Tuesday.

Elliott Hinkle, 31, who founded Unicorn Solutions and advocates for child welfare and LGBTQ youths, said Mace, R-S.C., who co-chairs the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, spoke at an event celebrating 25 years of the Foster Care Independence Act, held in the Rayburn Building with at least 50 attendees. Hinkle said Mace said in her remarks that she looked forward to working with the advocates who were present and that James McIntyre, 33, of Illinois, approached her after she spoke.

"I think James took that seriously," Hinkle said, describing how they and others watched McIntyre, who co-founded Foster Care Alumni of America’s Illinois chapter, approach Mace after she spoke and reached out his hand.

"They shake hands, and James says, 'Trans youth are also foster youth, and they need your support.' And then sat down," Hinkle said.

Shortly after Mace left with a congressional staffer, Hinkle said, the staffer came back into the room and approached McIntyre, asking for his name and the message he had for Mace.

Several minutes later, Hinkle said, U.S. Capitol Police began arriving outside the event. Capitol Police said in Tuesday’s statement that officers later arrested McIntyre after an investigative interview.

"I watched that interaction happen, and I saw a handshake and a conversation and a very normal thing for an advocate to come to D.C. and do," Hinkle said. “She didn’t even seem to have, like, that big of a reaction to him. She just sort of made, like, almost like a tiny shock face, and then she left the room.”

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Lisa Dickson, another former foster youth and advocate, said Tuesday on Facebook that she was disappointed in Mace.

"I want to express deep disappointment in the fact that Congresswoman Nancy Mace came to a national foster youth event, told participating youth that it was a safe space — and literally had one of them arrested by Capital police for simply shaking her hand and asking about trans rights," Dickson wrote.

Foster Care Alumni, Capitol Police and a spokesperson for Mace’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday night.

The Imprint, which covers child welfare and related issues, first reported on the disputed assault allegations.

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According to a report of the incident filed with D.C. Superior Court, Mace told officers that McIntyre “began to aggressively and in an exaggerated manner shake her arm up and down in a hand shaking motion. The effect of the motion was described as her arm flailing for about 3-5 seconds,” the report said, noting that she said she “felt intimidated and unable to pull away when she tried.” 

Mace told Capitol Police that she had pain in her wrists, arm, shoulder and armpit area after the incident. She refused assistance from paramedics when it was offered, according to the report. She said Tuesday night on X that she was "physically accosted at the Capitol tonight by a pro-tr*ns man."

A day later, Mace shared an image of herself on X with her right arm in a sling, and she has made posts related to the incident.

"The usual suspects in the media are using the assault on me to prop up misogyny on the Left, giving a platform to activists chasing their 15 minutes of fame," she wrote.

Last month, Mace introduced a measure to bar lawmakers and House employees from “using single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex.” She said she was responding to the election of Sarah McBride, of Delaware, as the first openly transgender member of Congress in November.

Capitol Police said in a statement Tuesday that McIntyre was charged with assaulting a government official. He was held in police custody overnight and released Wednesday, Hinkle said.

McIntyre pleaded not guilty through a court-appointed attorney Wednesday, court filings showed.

Magistrate Judge Renee Raymond ordered that McIntyre stay away from Mace and that he be released from custody Wednesday afternoon with conditions, according to the court docket.