Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace submitted seemingly flirty text messages into Congress’ record during a hearing on Thursday, claiming they were sent by CNN panelist Michael Eric Dyson, who had publicly criticized her.
In an August 15 segment of “CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip,” Dyson, a Vanderbilt University professor, lambasted Mace for her pronunciation of Vice President Kamala Harris’s first name. During the House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing, Mace took aim at Democrats for their outrage over mispronouncing Harris’s name, pointing to party figures who have done so.
“My colleagues across the aisle said that those who cannot pronounce Kamala’s name correctly are elementary aged children. I would like to enter into the record an article by Newsweek stating Bill Clinton pronounced Kamala Harris’s name wrong during [his] DNC speech,” Mace stated.
“Bill Clinton along with Al Sharpton, rapper Lil John — let’s not forget that Joe Biden can’t say her name right, neither can Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor,” she continued. “And this morning on ‘Morning Joe,’ Joan Baez called her a camel. So I don’t want to hear it. It’s fake outrage.”
Mace then presented alleged screenshots of text messages from Dyson, claiming he referred to her as “gorgeous” after accusing her of using white supremacist language.
“I would like to also enter into the record a screenshot of a text message I received from the esteemed professor from Vanderbilt Michael Eric Dyson after my CNN interview, begged me for photos. In this text, he says, after calling me racist on CNN, ‘shh don’t tell anybody, we look good together,’” Mace said, showing a kissy emoji.
Congresswoman Nancy Mace just officially entered into the Congressional record her messages from an unhinged CNN panel host hitting on her in private after blasting her as a "white supremacist" during on-air meltdown for mispronouncing Kamala's name 🤣
This is the way. pic.twitter.com/Olw5Uf8p7L
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 19, 2024
“The guy says I’m gorgeous in all these photos. I don’t think he’s that bent out of shape on how anyone pronounces Kamala,” Mace remarked. “And if we’re going to have that standard, you gotta hold it to both sides, not just one or the other.”
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) September 19, 2024
During the August 15 CNN show, Dyson criticized Mace for being disrespectful to Harris, claiming her comments reflected a “history and legacy of white disregard for the humanity of black people.”
Mace previously had a tense exchange with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in March regarding her political choices as a victim of assault. Mace’s office and CNN did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
