Former staffer Natalie Johnson has accused US Representative Nancy Mace of lying after the South Carolina Republican claimed she does not drink alcohol due to a genetic condition. Mace made the assertion during a Newsmax interview on Tuesday, responding to a New York magazine profile that alleged she forced staff to make late-night liquor runs for parties.
“Nancy Mace claiming she doesn’t drink alcohol might be the funniest, most brazen lie she’s told to date,” Johnson tweeted, posting photos of Mace holding drinks. Mace had shared a mug labelled “NOT TEQUILA” while stating she cannot consume much alcohol because of hemochromatosis, a condition that causes iron overload.
The New York profile, by reporter Jake Lahut, described Mace as an abusive boss whose behaviour alarmed former staffers. It alleged she demanded staff bring her tequila after midnight and made aides clean her properties. Mace denied the claims, saying she goes to bed early and has never had people over after midnight.
Mace’s denial was met with scepticism online, with X adding a Community Note pointing out she has been photographed with alcohol multiple times, including in her own social media posts. She also told The Atlantic in 2021 she had a “weakness for margaritas”. Mace is running in South Carolina’s crowded GOP gubernatorial primary.
