Nancy Mace (00:32):
All right. Good morning, everyone. Can you guys hear me okay? Everyone hear me okay? You all should have received the press release this morning with some accompanying documents. I first want to start off by saying that just a few weeks ago we saw Charlie Kirk assassinated in cold blood. Last year, President Trump had two attempts on his life, two assassination attempts. We saw Steve Scalise a couple of years ago shot up four or five times. I am not going to be the next person shot and killed in cold blood. I take my safety of myself, of my children, of my family, of my employees very seriously. On average, I receive over 1,300 credible threats a year. That is not an exaggeration, it's actually a very conservative estimate and is likely far higher than that. We receive so many credible threats we simply cannot keep up with them.
(01:57)
Last Thursday morning, I absolutely 100% confronted the airport employees who put my safety at risk. Did I drop an F-bomb? I hope I did. Did I call them incompetent? If I didn't, they absolutely earned it. And so today, I want you to know that the press, you guys, and the fake news have omitted many details, and by doing so, you are lying to the people about what actually has transpired here. I have had over two dozen security breaches at the Charleston International Airport so far this year. We haven't even made it a full year yet, and I have personally had over two dozen security breaches at this airport. In the information that you all and the material you're getting today, you will see some of that detailed. At the airport, my children have been targeted. At the airport, I've had employees targeted. At the airport, I personally have been targeted.
(03:14)
So number one, for those that have protected me, that have kept me safe, the ones at TSA and the local officers at the airport, there are some really good guys and gals that have done an extremely good job. But there are some bad apples at the airport, and I'm going to start at the top with the airport CEO, Elliot Summey, who is well aware of these security breaches and has done nothing to ensure my safety. And in fact, last week, as Elliot Summey and the airport tried to as fast as they can compromise my safety, they leaked video of the vehicle of which I am sometimes dropped off at at the airport, compromising my safety and compromising the safety of my employee who has now been doxed and her car has been doxed. The airport under Elliot Summey's leadership, if we can call it that, I wouldn't call it that, but under Elliot Summey last week, the airport rushed to compromise my safety by releasing the location of where I am normally dropped off when I am traveling alone.
(04:32)
In the video that was released last week, it was a limited video that was cut and that did not show the full picture. I have FOIA'd the airport. I have FOIA'd the airport for all video from start to finish. Show exactly what happened from the moment I got out of my car alone in the dark to the time that I got to the gate. I've requested all body cam footage. If you want to watch me drop the F word for the 50th time in my life, have at it. Enjoy it. It'll be good. But what I will not do is I will not continue to allow or tolerate mediocre safety and security at the Charleston International Airport.
(05:22)
This is the only airport in the country where I have had security breaches. I have traveled through four different airports in the last five days, not a single security incident at a single one of those airports. I have had incidences at airports across the country, however, and I have watched as law enforcement swiftly came in, swooped in to protect me. I had an incident in Chicago earlier this year where a man followed me through the airport, through the entire airport. When we realized what was going on, Chicago Airport Security quickly stepped in, they intervened, and they kept me safe. We had an incident at a DC airport in December of last year where a woman tried to have a physical altercation with me. And you know what happened? Capitol Police swiftly stepped in to protect my safety and the safety of those around me.
(06:31)
These incidences have multiple witnesses. We have well documented these things. I will not sacrifice my safety for Elliot Summey's laziness, for his incompetence, and those who work for him who refuse to keep people safe. I am very concerned if this is what's going on to me, what else is going on at the airport from a security operations standpoint? The other thing I want to mention is that these incident reports, incident reports are almost always used only for people who commit crimes. So why were these filed? This was a complete and total political hit job. And if cursing is a crime, then myself and all of you watching this morning should have been arrested a very long time ago. I am not going to apologize if there's an incompetent government employee at the airport who's expecting an apology this morning, you are not going to get it. My safety and the safety of my family and my employees when we are traveling in high-risk situations is going to be paramount.
(07:53)
The other thing that we are doing this morning is you will see in your press packet we are releasing some text messages between airport security and my staff. We are also releasing some text messages between myself on my personal device and airport security. You will see multiple times over that they have acknowledged their failures in keeping me safe. They have acknowledged multiple times they did not show up to keep me safe. You will see in the video on Thursday morning, it was dark, no one was there to pick me up and escort me, I was alone. It is a huge safety concern and I'm not going to tolerate that kind of behavior. The other thing that you all are getting this morning is the TSA memo and the TSA memo, which is an internal memo, we have done something we don't normally do, which is share some of the threats that we have received,
Nancy Mace (09:00):
Received both myself, my family, my employees. In the last year, the number of threats that we have received has grown exponentially. In the last three months, we've seen extremely disturbing behavior. Five of my employees in the last three months, between five of them, there have been 10 flat tires, flattens here in Charleston. Most of the tires were flattened via a broken valve. I've never seen anything like it in my life. I've never had five employees have 10 flat tires at any point in my tenure. One of them, one of the tires of one of my employees, had a blade of some type in it. This is all in the last three months. One of the other things that you'll see in here is that my personal vehicle was recently doxxed by the Attorney General of South Carolina, Alan Wilson. After my vehicle was doxxed, I have been followed home at least one time from where we are standing right now.
(10:07)
I recently, after that, also had another employee who was followed out of the parking lot as well. I've had multiple individuals appear at my office unannounced. I've had multiple people threaten to show up to my office unannounced. We have had bomb threats. You all have been present when we had an evacuation earlier this year because of a suspicious package. I've had property vandalized. Some of you have covered it over the years where I've had my car keyed. I've had my home broken into, I've had my home spray-painted, I've had my home vandalized on a separate occasion as well. I was physically assaulted at the Capitol in December of last year. There are multiple videos that we have put out and released that show people explaining how they want to murder me in quite vivid, bloody detail. I have released audio messages over the years of some of the threats that I have received.
(11:20)
We have brought these concerns to the attention of the airport multiple times. We've brought these concerns to TSA multiple times, and I am grateful to the leadership at the TSA who has worked with us to ensure that we improve the safety concerns that we have while I'm traveling. So I'm requesting immediate action today from the Charleston International Airport and TSA. I want an immediate review of security protocols at Charleston International Airport for members of Congress, their authorized staff and employees, and their children. I want formal coordination between TSA, the Capitol Police, and DHS to ensure that travel procedures reflect the elevated level of security risks and threats that I receive. I want a designation of a single point of contact within TSA for ongoing security coordination with our office. I want a personnel review of any federal employee who has participated in compromising my safety.
(12:37)
I want a formal review of airport staff and employees who have compromised my safety over and over and over again. More than two dozen security breaches so far at the airport this year. And lastly, regardless of the threats that I receive, regardless of safety concerns and protocols, I have always operated at 1000%, despite the harassment, despite the death threats. If I wrote an incident report for every time someone cursed at me to give me feedback, we would run out of paper. I think that this is clearly a political hit job, and we need to spend more time securing the airport than attacking a hardworking, conservative member of Congress. And with that, I will take any of your questions.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Congresswoman, what specifically was erroneous in the incident report?
Nancy Mace (13:42):
I don't have it in front of me, but in the text messages that you'll see, for example, the airport employees said they were looking for a white vehicle. That is wrong. You'll see in the text messages that we very specifically said we would be in a gray vehicle, and we were very specific on our arrival, what time we would be arriving. So the arrival time that they claim was incorrect, the vehicle they said they were looking for was incorrect. When I came into the airport on Thursday, I was literally the only vehicle getting out at that time. There were no airport security upon my arrival outside the airport entrance where I enter, and there were no security inside the airport where I enter. And what you'll see in the video is that I patiently waited. I asked TSA for help Thursday morning, and TSA was very helpful. They were confused, I was confused, but they were very helpful in trying to figure out who was there. No one knew, at TSA, what airport security were there.
(14:49)
And so they did try to scramble and help me identify who was there and request assistance. Now, the crew member entrance-- I think there was something in the incident reports about that as well. In the press release this morning, we have also provided TSA's official policy for federally elected officials that we do enter through the crew member entrance. That is standard operating procedure. There is nothing odd about that; there's nothing unique. I was not denied that, but because of TSA's rules, I can't just walk through flippantly. Like, you have to have a security escort, which is why I was waiting at the TSA crew member checkpoint because that's where I enter, that's where all federal officials enter, and that's where we go, and that's the policy. So I patiently waited. I asked for assistance, and the TSA employees at the airport Thursday morning were very helpful.
(15:47)
What's the other… I don't have it in front of me. The incident report--am I missing anything else in terms of some of the information that was incorrect?
Speaker 2 (15:53):
So they stated over six times in the incident report that they were looking for a white BMW because that's what they said they were told would be arriving.
Nancy Mace (16:04):
And you'll see in the documentation you were provided this morning that's completely inaccurate. Whether that's intentionally a lie or a false statement or they're incompetent, I don't know, but we were very clear on what vehicle, what time, where I would be. The other thing I want to mention is that they have repeatedly compromised my safety by releasing the video of the vehicle that I was in, doxxes that vehicle. They also release the location of where I get dropped off. So the irony here that this is an airport trying to keep me safe and secure when they are actually compromising my safety and security is egregious.
(16:43)
It is unforgivable. And when I'm governor, if there is a government employee or a government worker or a government executive like Elliott Summey, who is incompetent, who is lazy, who puts people's safety at risk, you will be fired on the spot. I have no tolerance for mediocrity. I have no tolerance for people who refuse to do their job. And yes, I will absolutely 100% call you out for being incompetent. That is a fact. I have done it multiple times over, and I will do it again if I have to. And when I'm governor, if I find a single government employee who's incompetent or corrupt or lazy, you're going to be fired right away.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Congresswoman, when you arrived at the airport and you saw that you did not have the usual security waiting for you outside at the curb, why did you get out of the vehicle instead of contacting them? Or did you?
Nancy Mace (17:42):
We did contact airport security, where they refused to answer the phone calls and text messages. So you'll see some of the text… There are some texts finally, but you'll see missed phone calls where we tried and attempted to call security. You will see airport security, I believe, apologize
Nancy Mace (18:00):
… apologize for not taking the phone calls, but I also had a flight to catch. And so my thing was when they… And again, we've had over two dozen security breaches at the airport. When this happens, I usually go to the TSA checkpoint because at least there's somebody there and I go and I ask for assistance and I ask for help. When airport security, when Charleston International Airport is not responding to me or my employees, we go there and we ask and request assistance, which is what I did Thursday morning. I requested assistance from multiple TSA agents and also another security guard who was there, who had one of the drug dogs there. I did pass by somebody and I did ask for his help. I said, "Hey, can you call down to the security? No one's responding to us. I need to get through I and appreciate the assistance." Everyone said that they would try to find them, but it took several minutes and that's not okay.
(18:57)
This is the only airport, and I'm the only elected official that I'm aware of that has been targeted by the airport and has these kinds of security breaches. There's no other airport in the world where I have had this kind of thing happen. Again, I flew through four airports in the last five days, everything went on without incident. Everybody was there. All the police and law enforcement did their job, did what they were supposed to do. It went extremely well, so this is unique to this airport. It is unique to me and it will not be tolerated, which is why I'm demanding a personnel review and that I want this fixed. I don't currently feel safe flying through that airport, particularly after the airport compromised my security by doxing the vehicle and sharing with everyone where I get dropped off. It does not feel safe, and that is deeply concerning to me. The other thing I want to mention too is that some of my opponents in the race for governor are applauding a security breach at the airport.
(20:08)
What the hell is wrong with you that you are celebrating someone's safety, someone who gets over 1,300 credible threats a year? You are celebrating my life being at risk, my safety being at risk. That should be disqualifying for anyone running for governor. I want people in South Carolina traveling through all of our airports to be safe, and that's what this is about.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
Congresswoman, you mentioned in some other airports where you've been confronted by people or followed. Can you go into some specific detail about incidents that have happened at the Charleston Airport? You say there have been multiple security breaches, things like that to you in the past.
Nancy Mace (20:47):
Most of the security breaches at the Charleston International Airport are when the airport security does not show up either at the drop-off point or at the gate when I'm returning. You'll see that again in some of the text messages. You'll see some messages. The last time I flew through Charleston, previous to this flight on Thursday, the last time I flew in, there was no security at the gate. This has happened over and over again. The security breaches are typically when they don't show up, after we've coordinated it with our office and my team on what time I'm arriving, when I'm arriving, how I'm arriving, where I'm arriving, what vehicle I'm in. For security reasons we change and alternate the vehicles that I travel in, so because Alan Wilson doxed my personal vehicle, we're very careful about what vehicles we use, where we use them, how they use them because of the security threats. And so now I've got another vehicle that's been doxed. I can't go buy cars for everybody. It's ridiculous and it's not happening to anybody else. It's just me and I want to know why.
Speaker 5 (22:00):
Can you be specific on… Or can you just clarify who it's that you are calling Incompetent? Who needs a review? Rory [inaudible 00:22:05]-
Nancy Mace (22:05):
I think I've been very clear-
Speaker 5 (22:07):
… staff. Or are you also criticizing TSA who as you know right now are not being paid?
Nancy Mace (22:12):
Well, this incident on Thursday… I'm not being paid either, by the way. If TSA is not being paid, I'm not getting paid. If our troops aren't getting paid, I'm not getting paid. I did not get a paycheck this morning because I said, "No, if federal government employees aren't being paid, I am not going to be paid." TSA on Thursday was actually very helpful. I have had issues with TSA in the past. I've had issues with TSA and my children, separating my children from me going through the security process at that airport. Again, no other airport has separated me from my children when going through the security process, only here at the Charleston Airport. Now TSA and DC has rectified that. TSA has been wonderful. They've been very good to us, but we have had issues with my employees traveling with me and my children in the past with TSA. But it was quickly rectified because of new leadership under President Trump. President Trump's new leadership at TSA has been very good about correcting those issues with TSA in the past, that's not been the issue, the bulk of the issue.
(23:20)
The bulk of the issue now and has been the local airport, so I blame Elliot Summey, the CEO of the airport because leadership starts at the top. He has been well aware of these issues, as has the security team at the airport. You will see in the text messages that we are releasing to you today, you will see apologies for not showing up for the job they were hired to do. If you don't want to show up to work and you are paid by South Carolina's government, when I'm governor you're going to be fired. I don't care who you are. I don't care what position it is. We have many men and women in uniform who serve proudly, who are professional and who enjoy doing the work. And I've had many great interactions with local security here in Charleston, but leadership starts at the top. This is not okay. It is not safe. I don't feel safe.
(24:17)
And now my security and my safety has been further compromised by Elliott Summey and the airport. They have doxed where I get dropped off. They doxed vehicles, the vehicle that I was in on Thursday, and they have severely and significantly compromised my safety and I'm not going to tolerate it.
Speaker 5 (24:35):
You don't think this shutdown has anything to do with the miscommunication on their end at all or the lack of communication from staff?
Nancy Mace (24:41):
No, this was strictly the local airport and it has been for some time. Again, if I've had an issue with TSA in the past, TSA has quickly, very quickly rectified it and corrected and made it better. They have been wonderful. This is strictly the local airport. It is the only airport in the world where I have these kinds of issues and I'm the only person that travels through this airport that I'm aware of that has these kinds of issues, so when I say that, does it feel targeted? Absolutely. But am I going to sit here and take it like a doormat and be walked all over? Absolutely not. I will not.
Speaker 6 (25:23):
Congresswoman, you've used the language doxed. Some folks may not know what that is. What is the reasonable expectation of privacy when you are a public official and you are campaigning across the state and even the country as you run for governor, where is that delineation of someone documenting something that anyone can see, a reasonable expectation of privacy versus doxing to you as a public official?
Nancy Mace (25:45):
Well, I see it as, well, if I show up somewhere, you're free to film or photograph. People do it all the time. But there is an inherent risk to my safety when it happens, and to have the airport actively participate in compromising my safety, I find extremely egregious. To have the Attorney General again compromise my safety and that there has been fallout from it. I have been followed home in my personal vehicle in the weeks after Attorney General Alan Wilson posted my vehicle all over social media, so it is a problem. Obviously there's a balance here and I'm not… Film me, whatever.
(26:24)
I don't know what people's obsession is with filming me or photographing me, have at it. But it does compromise my safety and that's why I'm doing this press conference this morning to point out and place some blame here. I want accountability. For those who have compromised my safety, they should not have a job at the airport. And that the airport leadership won't protect me, they need to be replaced by individuals who will. And I furthermore am very concerned about the overall operations of security at the airport who can't do a very minor
Nancy Mace (27:01):
… Executive detail. If you can't show up to do a detail, what else are you not showing up to do? This isn't hard work. And again, it's only a handful of people and I blame the top starting with Elliott Summey.
Speaker 4 (27:16):
Are you saying you'd like to see those two or three aviation authority officers that were assigned to escort you, you'd like to see them disciplined?
Nancy Mace (27:24):
I want a review of the behavior. I want to know what's going on, which is why I am FOIAing the airport for everything. They selectively released video, not all of the video, but only selected portions of video that show me waiting at TSA. It says nothing. I want everything, and I want to know why this continues to happen, I want to know why it's happened more than 24 times this year. I've had security breaches at this airport alone and I want to know why. And anyone who's responsible for these security breaches needs to be fired. 100%.
Speaker 4 (28:03):
You've also said that leadership starts at the top.
Nancy Mace (28:05):
Correct-
Speaker 4 (28:05):
… Things can be true at once Congresswoman with real frustrations and concerns about security, but also the way you behave. Why are you not apologizing for the way that you behaved when this happened?
Nancy Mace (28:17):
Okay. I have just said it till I'm blue in the face. My safety has been put at risk over 24 times at this airport. I am frustrated. I am absolutely pissed off. And I'm going to let people know that this is not professional. It's not okay. It's wrong. My safety was put at risk. We have seen two assassination attempts on the President. We saw Charlie Kirk assassinated in cold blood. Steve Scalise shot up four or five times. I get over 1,300 credible threats per year. I have two guys here this morning who are armed and locked and loaded. It's this way for a reason. And I'm not going to apologize for asking to be safe. I should be able to be safe when I'm traveling.
(29:11)
And if you're going to be incompetent and not do that, I am 100% going to call you out. And when I'm governor, if I find out that this behavior's continuing at any government agency, at any level, top to bottom when I'm governor, I will fire people for being incompetent. I will fire people for being lazy. I will fire people for being corrupt. I will fire people for not doing their job. Leadership starts up here and they have to take responsibility for the over two dozen security breaches I have had at that airport. It doesn't happen anywhere else.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
Have you had this reaction to this lapse in security before?
Nancy Mace (29:53):
Correct. I have-
Speaker 4 (29:55):
… Engaged with this type of language and frustration.
Nancy Mace (29:57):
Well, I don't know what language I've used. I have once previously expressed frustration to Sergeant Sullivan within the last two months in the airport. This was the second time I expressed my frustration. Did I drop an F bomb? I hope so. Did I call them incompetent? I hope I did because they earned it. So I am not going to apologize for holding people accountable for their work product. I'm just not going to do it. I, again, have had over 24 security breaches at this airport so far this year, and we're only 10 months in basically to this year. I've had over two dozen security breaches. If that doesn't make you go, "Huh," I don't know what else will. I do not feel safe flying through the Charleston Airport. I don't feel safe by the way this has been handled." And I'm not going to compromise my safety, my safety of my employees when they travel with me, the safety of my children when they travel with me.
(30:59)
Safety is not … I'm not going to compromise on that. I'm not going to allow mediocre government employees to put my life at risk. That's not ever going to be tolerated with me as a member of Congress or with me as the future governor of South Carolina. I want the best, the brightest, the hardest working, the proudest. And there are some really great guys and gals at the airport, but again, there are a few bad apples that have to go.
Speaker 4 (31:26):
Congresswoman, what's the airport's response been when you've brought these concerns to them? You said you brought them to them before.
Nancy Mace (31:32):
You'll see it in the text messages. They take responsibility for it generally and promise to do better and then never do anything. And so I am tired of it, I am frustrated. I am absolutely pissed off about it, and I'm not going to tolerate it. And I've been dealing with these issues privately with the airport. So maybe this is a good thing that this happened and it is so public because maybe they will finally change their tune and do the right thing for safety at the airport. So maybe I believe this will end up being a good thing overall.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
Have you talked to any members of the board at the airport?
Nancy Mace (32:06):
I have not, and I don't trust anybody over there. I missed several phone calls from Elliott Summey his morning in a text and he is not getting a response from me. He can deal with TSA and my staff. I'm out of it and hopefully they will do better. And I'm hoping that by being so public about this, that they will change their policies and keep people safe at the airport. I do not feel safe for over two dozen reasons and would not have publicly come out if they had not played this political game. This was a political hit job. And again, my safety shouldn't be political and I find it ridiculous, I find it incompetent and I'm just not going to tolerate it.
Speaker 4 (32:52):
If leadership starts at the top though, shouldn't you sit down with Elliott Summey to have these conversations-
Nancy Mace (32:57):
I've had these conversations with him in the past. I've had these conversations with airport security. The ball is in their hands to fix the problem. We are dealing with TSA and have we requested TSA's assistance. They have been wonderful and we will continue to do so, but until they are willing to acknowledge the problem, until they are willing to apologize for the problem and until they are willing to fix the problem, I have nothing more to say to Elliott Summey, other than you're fired when I'm governor. All right. Is that it? Okay. Thank you so much guys. And then if you … Oh, one more thing I'm going to add. We also have audio that we are getting that we will also release either today or tomorrow. It'll be audio between my employees and airport security. So we're going to be very transparent about everything. So thank you very much. I appreciate it. This is for you. It's freezing out here. I'm …