An investigation into Republican Rep. Nancy Mace’s viral airport meltdown has concluded that she turned a minor issue into “a spectacle,” according to The Washington Post.
The sweary meltdown at Charleston Airport saw Mace, a South Carolina lawmaker and gubernatorial candidate, attract negative press.
A police report laid out some of the shocking details of the rampage, which saw the “very irate” President Trump ally leave staff at the airport distressed and “visibly upset.”
Now, an internal investigation by the Charleston Airport Police Department, obtained by the Washington Post, has added more detail about the Oct. 30 drama.
It has concluded that Mace, 48, melted down at airport police and Transportation Security Administration officers with swear words and scathing insults.
The debacle unfolded when reporting officers were unable to locate Mace’s vehicle, which they were told was a white BMW but turned out to be silver. Mace reacted badly when the police were not there to receive her and accompany her through security.
And while the airport holds “a certain level of responsibility” for a “minor miscommunication,” Mace amplified the whole saga with her behavior, the latest report, dated Nov. 12, has found.
Police Chief James A. Woods wrote in the new report that her “continued failure to follow established procedures at the checkpoint” escalated the situation into “a spectacle.”
The report, which centred on interviews with TSA staff and police officers, claimed that she sprayed around swear words.
“I’m sick of your s--t,” she said, adding that they were “f---ing idiots” and “f---ing incompetent.” She also yelled in front of TSA officers and police and said she deserved better because she is a “f---ing representative.”
One airport staffer said she was “very nasty, very rude.” Her meltdown, they said, was “very unbecoming if she’s representing us” in Congress. Others were “visibly upset” and “downtrodden” by the encounter.
Yet still, Mace’s office called the report “a full exoneration” and said it “looks forward to remaining fully focused on the issues that actually matter to South Carolinians: affordability and law and order.”
But the details made it look like Mace wanted special treatment. The Post reported that a transportation security officer heard her on her phone “saying things like ‘she shouldn’t have to wait’ and ‘why isn’t she being treated like a senator?’”
The report also had details of a previous Mace airport drama when she arrived at the same airport with a relative. Staff at the airport wanted to check if the family member needed additional screening, something Mace angrily objected to, according to the Post.
Mace flew into a profanity-laced outburst and yapped about having to wait, the publication stated.
A pair of police officers familiar with the escort procedure told investigators that Mace is “rarely on time and that this is often exacerbated by the fact that their communication is often relayed through multiple staffers, as the congresswoman appears to have high personnel turnover.”
Mace has said that, in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing, she requires more security and a more streamlined airport experience. Her office has been contacted for comment.
