A disputed handshake is on the middle of a Tuesday incident involving Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) that resulted in an Illinois man’s arrest, in line with a police report and a witness who spoke to The Hill.
Mace, who has made headlines in current weeks for advocating in opposition to transgender girls with the ability to use Capitol services that match their gender id, mentioned on X that she was “physically accosted” by a “pro-tr*ns man.” Capitol Police confirmed that 33-year-old James McIntyre of Illinois was arrested on Tuesday in reference to the incident, which came about at a foster care youth advocacy occasion.
However witness Elliott Hinkle, a transgender one that additionally has expertise in foster care, disputed Mace’s characterization of the interplay.
Mace, who’s one in every of six co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, spoke on the occasion in Rayburn Home Workplace Constructing on Tuesday. The Illinois chapter of the Nationwide Affiliation of Social Employees named McIntyre a “Public Citizen of the Year” in 2019 for his foster care youth advocacy, The Imprint first reported.
“As she went to leave the room, James met her by the door where people could see her and him to say, ‘trans youth are in foster care and they need your support,’ and gave a handshake and then walked back to his seat and sat down,” Hinkle advised The Hill. “It seemed a pretty normal interaction from those of us who witnessed it.”
Hinkle mentioned that 30 p.c of youth in care are LGBTQ.
A Mace workers member returned to ask McIntyre’s identify and what he mentioned to Mace, Hinkle mentioned. Quickly after, Hinkle mentioned, Capitol Police confirmed up with an “overwhelming presence” and ultimately arrested McIntyre.
Capitol Police, who’ve handled a rise of threats in opposition to lawmakers, advised The Hill: “We take the protection of Members of Congress seriously.”
A police report on the incident additionally documented Mace’s account of the handshake, which had a extra aggressive interpretation.
“The victim [Mace] offered their right hand to the individual to shake hands, and upon their hands coming together, the individual placed their other hand on top of the victim’s hand in a clasping manner so that the victim’s hand was between both of the subject’s hands. The victim stated that the subject 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 police report mentioned of Mace’s accounting of the interplay.
“The victim stated that she attempted to pull her hand away from the subject but was held in place by the subject,” the report continued. “During the shaking motion, the victim advised that the subject stated, ‘trans youth deserve advocacy.’”
Mace advised police she was experiencing ache in her wrists, arm, and armpit/shoulder after the incident, in line with the police report.
Hinkle, nonetheless, mentioned that the handshake didn’t appear aggressive.
“It looked like a benign handshake,” Hinkle siad.
McIntyre was arrested Tuesday and charged with assaulting a authorities official, Capitol Police mentioned. On Wednesday, McIntyre pleaded not responsible to the cost in D.C. Superior Court docket.
Requested to reply to Hinkle disputing Mace’s characterization of occasions, Mace spokesperson Gabrielle Lipsky advised The Hill in an announcement: “With an ongoing investigation, we’re restricted in what we are able to share past what Capitol Police have already made public. The Congresswoman is in ache this morning, together with her arm in a sling, however she’s in any other case doing nicely—simply shaken up. What’s much more disheartening is watching the Left and their media allies deny this even occurred, propping up misogyny as a substitute of condemning violence.”
Mace, in the meantime, was noticed sporting a sling within the Capitol on Wednesday, and posted on X that Trump had known as her to examine in on her.
Hinkle expressed disappointment in Mace’s response.
“It sends a chilling impact to our younger advocates who’re on the Hill being advised it is secure to share your voice, to talk to your elected representatives, to share your perspective and be heard,” Hinkle mentioned, “only to find out that you might have the police called on you for sharing your perspective, and you might have someone claim that you assaulted them when you just shook their hand.”
Mace has made headlines in current weeks for her opposition to transgender girls utilizing bogs within the Capitol complicated that match their gender id – and has been very vocal on social media about digging in on that stance in face of opposition.
Mace’s place was a response to incoming Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) being set to grow to be the primary overtly transgender member of Congress, and resulted in Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) saying a coverage that “restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms” are “reserved for individuals of that biological sex.”
Zach Schonfeld contributed.
