A man accused of physically assaulting Capitol-based Rep. Nancy Mace, RS.C Washington DCPleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge Tuesday night.
James McIntyre, 33, of Illinois, was charged Tuesday with assault on a public official after allegedly accosting Mace.
According to a police affidavit, two witnesses told U.S. Capitol police that a man in his 40s approached Mace, who was identified only as the victim, to shake his hand. When Mace grabbed his hand, the man took his hand with both of his hands and “shook his arm up and down in an exaggerated, aggressive hand-waving motion.”
Police said witnesses provided the name and photo of the man who confronted Mace and found Internet postings of the incident. The man was later identified by witnesses as James McIntyre, a 33-year-old Illinois resident, according to police.
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Officers spoke with Mace. After the encounter, and he gave a similar account.
Mace told officers that he offered the man his right hand for a handshake, and that he wrapped both of his arms around her and began shaking her arm in an “aggressive and exaggerated manner.”
Mace said she tried to pull her hand away from the man but was unable to do so.
During the offensive shaking, Mace said, the man said, “Trans youth deserve advocacy.”
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U.S. Rep. Nancy Mays, RS.C. arrive for the House Republican Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on November 19, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Mace told officers he was in shock over the situation and did not say anything to the man.
She also said she felt scared when she tried to back away, and, after the encounter, she was experiencing pain in her wrists, arm and shoulder.
When asked if she wanted to respond to paramedics, Mays reportedly declined.
Following the incident, Mace took to social media to let her followers know what happened.
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“I was physically assaulted on Capitol grounds tonight for my fight to protect women. The Capitol Police arrested her,” Mace said in a post on X. All the violence and threats continue to prove our point. Women deserve to be protected. Your threats will not stop my fight for women!”
On Wednesday, he continued to write about the encounter on X in a series of posts.
In one post, she said she had gotten off the phone with President-elect Trump.
“Mr. President, thank you for checking me out and standing up for women,” Mace wrote. “We can’t wait to see you back in the White House.”
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In another post, she shared a picture of herself with her arm thrown.
Mace’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital representative’s request for an update on his condition on Wednesday.
A magistrate judge later ordered McIntyre’s release. Appearance in the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia.
Mace has been vocal about her opposition to transgender people using bathrooms that do not correspond to their biological sex.
She led the charge against allowing the use of Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware. Women’s restrooms on Capitol Hill. McBride is a biological man who identifies and presents as a woman.
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Mace said last month that he was receiving death threats, adding that he was being “unfairly targeted.”
Mace also drafted resolution HR 1579, which would prohibit House members, officers and employees from using facilities other than those related to their biological sex.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.