Nancy Mace Claps Back At CNN When Asked About January 6 Riot

Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, brought up left-wing violence during a weekend interview when she was asked about media coverage regarding the January 6 riot that followed the release of thousands hours of video footage.

Mace made the comments during a CNN interview “State of the Union” Kaitlan Collins asked Kaitlan Collins fill-in host what her thoughts were about House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R–CA) giving Tucker Carlson 40,000 hours footage.

“I said early on last month that the release of the footage was important, that it should be released to every outlet, including CNN, every media outlet, every defense attorney, so that the public can see for itself,” She replied. That day saw violence. It is hard to deny. It was a difficult day in our history. The summer of 2020 was also a dark day in our history. When there were terrorist attacks, we saw very few arrests. Two summers ago I had my house painted and no one has been held responsible.

“And so we have got to make sure, if there’s going to be political violence in this country, no matter your political affiliation, everybody is treated and should be treated the same way,” She continued.

WATCH:

CNN’s @kaitlancollins Nancy Mace (Republican from South Carolina) asks if she will join her fellow legislators, Marjorie Taylor Greene and James Comer (Republican-Ky) for a visit to January 6 inmates in jail. @CNNSotu #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/bEZuFmx86y

— CNN (@CNN) March 12, 2023

TRANSCRIPT:

KAITLAN COLLINS CNN HOST: Welcome back STATE OF THE UNION. I’m Kaitlan Collins.

An early preview of a possible 2024 showdown between former president and former vice president as Mike Pence launched a new attack against his former boss in Washington last night.

What does the emerging power struggle mean for the future direction of the Republican Party’s leadership?

Nancy Mace, Republican Congresswoman from South Carolina, joins me now for discussion.

Congresswoman, thank You so Much for Being Here This Morning.

Let me start with the harsh comments that Vice President Mike Pence made last night. He said: “I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable for January 6.”

Are you convinced he is right?

REP. NACY MACE (R–SC): Good morning Kaitlan. I am grateful for your company this morning.

And this is how I see it. Both parties are struggling to see the nomination process. Some on the left don’t want Biden as a candidate. There are also those on right who don’t support the former president running. Many people on both sides keep coming back to January 6, which is keeping us from moving the country forward.

I was vocal about January 6. I am one of the few Republicans in the House to have defeated the former president last year in a primary. Then, I won my general election in a purple area overwhelmingly.

If we want to win the White House, we have to come together behind a candidate for ’24. There is a lot at stake.

COLLINS : Trump is, in fact, the current front-runner for the Republican nomination. Are you sure he is responsible for January 6?

MACE: He’s the only candidate in right now. I believe we’ll see at least two to three more candidates by the end of June or July.

For another 330 days, the Iowa caucuses won’t be held. This is just the beginning. South Carolina is proud of me. Next year will be our first-in-the South presidential primary. We still have a lot of work to do before we can get more candidates on board and see where the field goes.

COLLINS: Marjorie Taylor Greene (chair of the Oversight Committee) and Congressman James Comer (who is also the chair), have been planning to go on January 6 to visit the January 6 inmates who were already in jail.

What do they make of it? Would you like to go on a similar trip?

MACE: While I won’t join them, I will state this.

Over the years, I have done a lot in civil rights advocacy as both a state legislator and a member of Congress. Hakeem Jeffries was the first person I worked on a civil rights bill in my freshman year.

I would tell anyone that is in solitary confinement or jail, regardless their political affiliation, that if they feel that their civil rights have not been protected, we should support them. This is something I’ve done a lot with over the years and I respect.

Jamie Raskin and I were the top two members of the Civil Rights Committee that oversees oversight. We should all be concerned about the constitutional rights of citizens in this country.

COLLINS

FOX News witnessed this on FOX after Kevin McCarthy, House Speaker, gave them 40,000 hours worth of footage. You said that you want others to see the footage. It was a mistake for him to give the footage to just one outlet so that they could portray it as they did.

MACE

And there is — there was violence on that day. It is hard to deny. It was a difficult day in our history. But so too were — was the summer of 2020. When there were terrorist attacks, we saw very few arrests. My house was spray-painted two years ago and no one has been held accountable.

So we need to ensure that, in the event of political violence, everyone is treated equally.

[09:20:00]

COLLINS : We also agree that CNN should be able to access that footage. Many media outlets would.

I’m interested in talking to you about budget. You just heard from the White House Budget Director about President Biden’s proposal. When is the release of the Republican proposal?

MACE: That would be great. There has been much discussion within the organization about how that might look. The Freedom Caucus has made theirs public. That discussion is ongoing.

I will tell ya, the comments of the OMB director on this program a while back were disturbing to my conscience, not only as a member Congress but also as an American. This is non-negotiable. The administration has been talking about a $5 trillion increase in tax.

This is impossible for both individuals and businesses given the current inflation and the potential recession. This issue should be the subject of negotiations. This should not be unilateral because both Republicans and Democrats are responsible for the current state of inflation.

They are responsible for the $31 trillion in debt we currently have. Both sides should sit down together and develop a reasonable plan over 10 to address spending, taxes, and inflation. We can then move on to grow the economy and reduce the deficit of $31 trillion.

That’s not too much to ask.

COLLINS: Yes, I should note the White House’s budget, they say would really — would reduce the deficit by about $3 trillion over 10 years.

However, you have just mentioned the House Freedom Caucus’s proposal. Is that your opinion?

MACE: I haven’t gotten to know it well enough to comment. Just recently, the president’s plan was released. Some media reports said that it would not reduce deficit.

It is something I will try to see with an open mind. However, I did find a $5 trillion tax rise on individuals and companies. There are many things we must do if we want to curb inflation.

Spending must be addressed. It is important to examine how taxpayer money is being spent. It is important to reduce taxes. You have to also grow the economy exponentially in a way so that it can — it can take over the inflation and the deficit issues that we have right now.

That’s what it takes.

COLLINS: Yes.

And we should note…

MACE: It’s not possible to raise taxes.

COLLINS: … the White House’s plan is basically dead on arrival, given Republicans control the majority in the House. We will keep our fingers crossed that the Republicans release their plan.

I have a question about the collapse at SVB. It is something everyone is watching to see how markets open tomorrow morning. Are you a member or a representative of Congress? Do you think they should be bailed out from the federal government.

MACE: It’s still — it’s still very early to see or say what the ramifications are going to be. It was a bank that served mostly start-ups in Silicon Valley.

These customers were also hit by inflation. They have been hit hard by interest rates. They have a shortage of cash. Some of their larger companies also panicked last week. I understand that the CEO sold millions of shares and gave bonuses to his employees right before the government took control of the bank.

Private companies cannot be saved by the government, as there are no consequences. When people make mistakes or violate the law, they have to be held responsible in this country.

COLLINS (OK, just to confirm that you don’t support bailouts, right?) Is this what you are saying?

MACE: No at the moment. COLLINS: OK.

MACE: I would — it’s still very early. It hasn’t been 48 hours, but it is, again. However, at the moment, I don’t support a bailout.

COLLINS – I have a question for you regarding something Nikki Haley, a fellow South Carolinian, said. She is running for president in 2024.

She said this week that she supports the — raising the retirement age for people who are in their 20s when it comes to receiving Social Security benefits. Are you in agreement with her?

MACE

I am 45 years old. I assume that Social Security will go under, and that I won’t be able to draw on my retirement savings from my work life, or my adult life. Social Security is something that we need to consider. We need to evaluate our spending in this country, both mandatory as discretionary.

We must be serious about fixing Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and other social security programs if we are going to fix them.

COLLINS: OK, so you do — you do support potentially raising the age to maybe extend the…

MACE: As long — as long as it’s not anybody that’s heading into retirement right now.

We don’t want anyone to lose those in retirement, or those heading towards retirement. But if we’re talking about younger generations, my kids, for example, if they know what the — what the retirement will look like 40 years from now, 50 years from now, then that should be on the table, and can be.

We must have both. Both Republicans and Democrats made this mistake, and they must fix it.

“From Nancy Mace Responds to CNN’s Question about the January 6 Riot“

“The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author of the article and not necessarily shared or endorsed by Conservative News Daily”

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases