Police arrest suspect accused of assaulting Nancy Mace on Capitol grounds

U.S. Capitol Police said Tuesday that they arrested a person accused of assaulting Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.

The suspect, identified as James McIntyre, 33, of Illinois, faces a charge of assaulting a government official.

Mace said Tuesday night on X that she was “physically accosted at the Capitol tonight” by someone who she said was a defender of transgender rights.

“One new brace for my wrist and some ice for my arm and it’ll heal just fine,” Mace said, adding that “violence and threats on my life will only make me double down.”

Reached for comment, Capitol Police did not provide details about the suspect and did not respond to questions about whether or not the suspect was an advocate of transgender rights.

In a statement detailing the incident, police said that a House member’s office had reported an incident in the Rayburn House Office Building and that officers had “tracked down the suspect.”

McIntyre was screened before entering the building, which was open to the public at the time of the incident, the statement said.

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 Sarah McBride’s being elected the first openly transgender member of Congress in November.

Last week, protesters opposed to Mace’s measure staged a protest outside a House office building.