Rep. Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina, lashed out at airport and law enforcement personnel at Charleston International Airport on Thursday after a scheduling mix-up delayed her escort through security, according to an incident report obtained by Wired.
The dispute began when police assigned to escort the congresswoman to her gate arrived several minutes late to meet her vehicle. Instead of waiting, Mace entered through an access lane typically reserved for flight crews, part of the Known Crewmember program managed by the Transportation Security Administration.
Officers from the Charleston County Aviation Authority Police Department, who were expecting her at another entrance, located her within ten minutes. Upon their arrival, Mace reportedly expressed frustration in strong language, calling officers “fing incompetent” and complaining that “this is no way to treat a fing U.S. Representative,” according to the incident report.
The documents state that her complaints continued as she proceeded through the terminal. “She also said we would never treat [South Carolina Senator] Tim Scott like this,” another officer wrote.
Mace later appeared to defend herself on social media, arguing that the entrance she used “is the entrance ALL Members of Congress use at the airport.” Her post made no mention of the language described in the report but suggested she believed the officers mishandled her escort.
The altercation reportedly left TSA agents and airport staff stunned. After Mace’s flight departed, an American Airlines gate agent approached the responding officers, saying he was “in disbelief” and that a “U.S. Representative should not be acting the way she was.” A TSA supervisor also expressed frustration, saying Mace had “talked to several TSA agents the same way” and that the agency would submit a report to superiors about her “unacceptable behavior.”
The timing of the incident underscored broader tensions at federal facilities, as TSA agents—like many federal employees—are not being paid during the ongoing government shutdown.
The reports also suggest the altercation stemmed from a simple miscommunication. Officers had been told to expect Mace in a white BMW, but she arrived in a different vehicle, leading to confusion about her location. “Any other person in the airport acting and talking the way she did, our department would have been dispatched and we would have addressed the behavior,” the report concluded.
Neither TSA, American Airlines, nor Mace’s office responded to requests for comment.
Mace, a second-term lawmaker known for her outspoken style, has occasionally clashed with members of the media and colleagues. In August, she criticized a reporter for fact-checking her statements, and last year accused ABC’s George Stephanopoulos of “shaming” her over her personal experiences with sexual assault.
While the Charleston episode has drawn attention for its tone, it also reflects Mace’s broader approach to public service—one marked by impatience with bureaucracy and a belief that government workers should be held accountable, even as critics accuse her of overstepping in the process.
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