Republican Rep. Nancy Mace and Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett had a heated exchange during a House Oversight Committee meeting in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
The argument occurred as Crockett, a representative from Texas, introduced an amendment to reinstate the previously disbanded Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
According to The New Republic, Crockett introduced her amendment shortly after the House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 28, “The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” which prevents biological males from competing against biological females in women’s sports.
After Crockett gave her proposition, Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury yielded her time to her, and Crockett began to call out Mace, a South Carolina representative.
“I can see that somebody’s campaign coffers really are struggling right now, so she gonna keep saying ‘trans, trans, trans’ so that people will feel threatened,” Crockett said.
Crockett continued, “And child, listen,” at which point Mace interrupted her.
“I am no child. Do not call me a child. I am no child. Don’t even start. I am a grown woman. I am 47 years old. I have broken more glass ceilings than you ever have,” Mace said as Crockett, 43, repeated that she was “reclaiming my time.”
“You will not do that. I am not a child. I am not a child. If you want to take it outside, we can do that,” Mace said in response.
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After House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer repeatedly banged his gavel to call the session to order, Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost motioned to strike Mace’s “take it outside” remark from the record. Comer later denied this request after ruling that Mace was not challenging Crockett to a fight, per The Hill.
Crockett spoke after the incident on her personal X account, writing, “[Mace is] an attention seeking loser who clearly has some fundraising goals to hit… and to be clear that is the only thing that she will hit…”
Crockett’s government X account echoed similar sentiments, sharing next to a clip from the meeting: “My Republican colleague threatened to physically fight me about it. Bless her heart.”
Mace has defended herself by writing on her professional account on X that she was not seeking to fight with Crockett.
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“I’m no child. And if I wanted a physical fight, you’d know it. That’s not what this was,” she wrote. “I won’t be bullied by someone who wants to take away women’s rights while lecturing about civil rights. I won’t be bullied by someone who thinks being scared of rape is a ‘fantasy.’ This ain’t political, it’s personal.”
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In a follow-up statement, Mace reiterated the same sentiments: “Let me be clear: I wanted to take the conversation off the floor to have a more constructive conversation, not to fight. At no point was there any intention of causing harm to anyone.”
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