During a hearing of the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace threatened to fight Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett after she called out Mace for anti-transgender bigotry.
Crockett was attempting to get the committee to reinstate its subcommittee on civil rights when she took note of Mace’s recent anti-trans rhetoric and promotion of bills meant to restrict transgender rights.
“Somebody’s campaign coffers really are struggling right now. So [Mace] gonna keep saying ‘trans, trans, trans’ so that people will feel threatened, and child, listen—” Crockett said.
Mace interjected, saying, “I am no child, do not call me a child, I am no child,” then told Crockett, “If you want to take it outside, we can do that.”
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Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost objected to the call for violence, but Oversight Chair James Comer, a Republican, ruled that the threat could merely have meant going outside to “have a cup of coffee or perhaps a beer.”
Following the incident, Mace posted about it on social media at least a dozen times but claimed that her response to Crockett was not about instigating a fight.
“Please explain to me how the same damn Karen that called Cap[itol] Police on a child who shook her hand wanted to act like she wanted to fight me?!” Crockett wrote. “Republicans incite violence from the highest levels of government & ALSO claim to be the party of law & order. The two cannot be true! Do yourself a favor, decide to require better of your electeds. Last I checked, threatening members in a committee room doesn’t exactly reduce the cost of eggs.”
Mace has been widely criticized for pushing House Republican leadership to adopt a rule that prevents transgender members of the House from using a restroom corresponding to their gender identity. The adoption of the rule followed the successful election of Rep. Sarah McBride, the first (and so far only) openly transgender member of Congress.
After being criticized for her bigoted stance, Mace has spent months attacking transgender people. A recent fundraising text for Mace alleged that a “Trans Mob” wanted to kill her.
The comment from Crockett comes as the Republican-led House passed legislation to ban transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports at schools that receive funding from the federal government. The bill also changes federal law to say “sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”
Republicans pushed the bill through—only two Democrats supported it, and no Republicans opposed it—even as concerns have been raised that it would empower predators.
“The House Republican Child Predator Empowerment Act does not promote fairness and safety in sports,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote. “It will unleash horrific child predators on girls and young women throughout America. Unacceptable.”
Frost noted that if the Republican bill became law, it would allow young children to be subjected to invasive questions about their genitals from strangers and that inspections could occur without parents present.
“We must protect children. This bill is disgusting and puts every girl in this country at risk,” he wrote.
Republicans, led by Donald Trump, have attacked transgender rights as a unifying rallying cry for bigots to support the party’s candidates at the polls.
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