A foster care advocate is disputing Rep. Nancy Mace’s account that she was “physically accosted” by a man arrested at the Capitol on Tuesday.
Elliott Hinkle, 31, founder of Unicorn Solutions and advocate for child welfare and LGBTQ youth, said Mace, R.S.C., co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, spoke at an event celebrating 25 years of the Foster Care Independence Act, held in the Rayburn Building with at least 50 people in attendance. Hinkle said Mace said in her remarks that she looked forward to working with the attorneys in attendance and that James McIntyre, 33, of Illinois, approached her after she spoke.
“I think James took that seriously,” Hinkle said, describing how she and others saw McIntyre, co-founder of Illinois Foster Care Alumni, approach Mace after she spoke and extended his hand.
“They shake hands and James says, ‘Trans youth are also foster youth and they need your support.’ And then sat down,” Hinkle said.
Shortly after Mace left with a congressional staffer, Hinkle said, the staffer came back into the room and approached McIntyre, asking for his name and the message he had for Mace.
Minutes later, Hinkle said, U.S. Capitol Police arrived outside the event. Capitol Police said in the statement Tuesday that officers later arrested McIntyre after an investigative interview.
“I saw that interaction happen, and I saw a handshake and a conversation and it was very normal for an attorney to come to D.C. to do that,” Hinkle said. “She didn’t even seem to have that big of a reaction to him. She kind of almost made a little shocked face, and then she left the room.
Lisa Dickson, another former foster youth and advocate, said on Facebook Tuesday that she was disappointed in Mace.
“I want to express my deep disappointment that Congresswoman Nancy Mace showed up to a national foster youth event, told the participating youth that it was a safe place – and literally had one of them arrested by the Capital Police for simply shaking her hand had shaken and asked for her. trans rights,” Dickson wrote.
Foster Care Alumni, Capitol Police and a spokesperson for Mace’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday evening.
The Imprint, which covers child welfare and related issues, first reported on the disputed abuse allegations.
According to a report of the incident filed in DC Superior Court, Mace told officers that McIntyre “began aggressively and in an exaggerated manner to shake her arm up and down in a hand-shaking motion. The effect of the movement was described as swinging her arm for approximately 3-5 seconds,” the report said, noting that she said she felt “intimidated and was unable to pull away when she tried .”
Mace told Capitol Police she had pain in her wrists, arm, shoulder and armpit after the incident. According to the report, she refused help from paramedics when it was offered. She said on X on Tuesday night that she was “physically accosted tonight in the Capitol by a pro-tr*ns man.”
A day later, Mace shared a photo of herself at X with her right arm in a sling, and she has posted posts related to the incident.
“The usual suspects in the media are using the attack on me to support the misogyny on the left and give a platform to activists chasing their 15 minutes of fame,” she wrote.
Last month, Mace introduced a measure to ban lawmakers and House of Representatives staff from “using same-sex facilities other than those that correspond to their biological sex.” She said she was responding to the election of Sarah McBride of Delaware as the first openly transgender member of Congress in November.
Capitol Police said in a statement Tuesday that McIntyre was charged with assault on a public official. He was held in police custody overnight and released Wednesday, Hinkle said.
McIntyre pleaded not guilty Wednesday through a court-appointed attorney, court documents showed.
Judge Renee Raymond ordered McIntyre to stay away from Mace and be released on conditions Wednesday afternoon, according to the court docket.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
