Nancy Mace slams 'bully' George Stephanopoulos for trying to 'shame her' as a sex assault survivor after he asked why she endorsed Trump when he was found liable of sexual abuse

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace has accused George Stephanopoulos of trying to 'shame' and 'bully' her as the ABC anchor tried to press her on why she endorsed former President Donald Trump after he was found liable for sexual abuse. 

Mace, R-S.C., scored an endorsement from Trump herself over the weekend. 

'You're trying to shame me for my political choice,' said Mace on ABC on Sunday. 'It was not a criminal court. This was a civil court and by the way, she joked about the judgment and what she was going to do with all that money. I find that offensive.' 

The congresswoman went on: 'As a rape victim, who's been shamed for years now because of her rape. You're trying to shame me again.'

Mace was raped when she was 16 years old and says it is what drives her to be an advocate for women's issues. 

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace has accused George Stephanopoulos of trying to 'shame' and 'bully' her as the ABC anchor tried to press her on why she endorsed former President Donald Trump after he was found liable for sexual abuse. Mace, R-S.C., scored an endorsement from Trump herself over the weekend

'You're trying to shame me for my political choice,' Mace told Stephanopoulos. 'It was not a criminal court'

'I have endorsed a man that I believe is best for our country. It's not Joe Biden.

'You looked at the dueling rallies yesterday, in Georgia. Laken Riley's family was with Donald Trump. They weren't with Joe Biden the same guy yesterday, that apologized for calling her killer an illegal who was an illegal. And here you are trying to shame a rape victim. I find it disgusting.' 

'You keep saying I'm shaming you. How is a question about a presidential candidate—' Stephanopoulos said. 'You're asking a rape victim,' Mace cut in. 

The clip generated blowback for Stephanopoulos on social media, but ABC is standing by him. 'George did his job by asking meaningful questions that are relevant to our viewers,' an ABC spokesperson told DailyMail.com.

Trump was ordered to pay $83.3 million for defamation after he publicly denied sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room in 1996.

Jurors had deliberated for less than three hours following a two-week civil trial in which the former president testified for just three minutes.

The case centered on comments Trump made about Carroll in 2019 after she accused him of attacking her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman store in New York nearly three decades ago.

In May a jury had found Trump liable of sexual abuse.  

The congresswoman went on: 'As a rape victim, who's been shamed for years now because of her rape. You're trying to shame me again.'

On Saturday Trump gave Mace an endorsement on Truth Social. 

The congresswoman went on: 'As a rape victim, who's been shamed for years now because of her rape. You're trying to shame me again.'

'It is my great honor to Endorse a Strong Conservative Voice for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District. Nancy Mace worked hard campaigning across South Carolina in support of our Record-Breaking WIN. In Congress, she is fighting to Secure the Border, Strengthen our Military, Support our Veterans, Uphold the Rule of Law, Stop Political Weaponization, and Protect and Defend 

DailyMail.com first reported that Trump was mulling an endorsement for the colorful South Carolina congresswoman last month. 

But in 2016, she was blacklisted from his campaign events, according to three sources who were involved in Trump's campaign in South Carolina at the time.

'She wasn't asked to stick around because everyone just thought she was a little out there - caused more drama than was valuable to have around,' said one source who worked on the Trump campaign in South Carolina in 2016. 

As another former senior Trump staffer said of the 2016 primary and campaign, 'in the early days, we didn't always hire the best, we hired who was willing to work for us.'

The congresswoman was furious about not being asked back to help out with the general election in 2016, said the staffer.

She was known to 'drive around to campaign fundraisers Trump was doing in the region, badger her way onto the photo line to tell [Trump] about how if he didn't hire her back, he was going to lose South Carolina in the general election to Hillary Clinton.'

'It got to a point where she literally had to be blacklisted from Trump campaign events across the country,' said the Trump campaign staffer.

'An email had to go out to finance and political staff saying: "Nancy Mace is not to be admitted to any future events.'''

'She absolutely was blacklisted from campaigns,' said a second source involved in Trump's campaign in South Carolina that year.

The source confirmed the Trump campaign team had a 'list of people who could not get into events and had to be kept out of events because they cause problems.' 

Mace was banned from area events in August or September of 2016, the sources said. 

'She was despised by most of the campaign staff that couldn't stand her. They didn't trust her. She undermined people. She lied,' said one source involved. 

But Trump world has apparently forgotten past grievances. 

Mace, who once said she wanted to get punched by January 6 rioters so she could be the face of 'anti-Trump,' did an about-face in January and endorsed Trump over her longtime friend Nikki Haley. 

DailyMail.com first reported that Trump was mulling an endorsement for the colorful South Carolina congresswoman last month

In 2016, she was blacklisted from his campaign events, according to three sources who were involved in Trump's campaign in South Carolina at the time

'His entire legacy, was wiped out yesterday,' Mace had said on January 7, 2021. 'Trump’s record in his first term should tell every American how vital it is he be returned to office,' she said on January 22, 2024. 

And Trump, similarly, endorsed primary challenger Katie Arrington against Mace in the 2022 cycle. 

During a rally in South Carolina that year, Trump called Mace 'crazy' and a 'terrible person.'

In the months since she was one of eight Republicans to vote to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Mace's office descended into chaos. 

She had full staff turnover, with nine employees leaving her Capitol Hill office over the course of a few months, citing a toxic environment.

Her former chief Dan Hanlon also launched a primary run against her and multiple former Mace staffers are advising Hanlon on his campaign. 

Another area Republican - Catherine Templeton - jumped into the heated race on Monday. 

'South Carolina needs a conservative they can trust. Someone committed to service over celebrity and someone who isn’t going to flip flop for fame,' she wrote on X.