During a congressional hearing on Thursday, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina entered into the official record a series of text messages she claimed were sent by CNN panelist and Vanderbilt University professor Michael Eric Dyson.
Dyson had previously criticized Mace on national television for her pronunciation of Vice President Kamala Harris’s name during an appearance on “CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip” on August 15.
At the House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing, Mace responded to Democrats who had expressed outrage over her mispronunciation of Harris’s first name.
She argued that similar mistakes had been made by prominent figures from their own party, accusing them of selective outrage. “My colleagues across the aisle said that those who cannot pronounce Kamala’s name correctly are at the level of elementary-aged children,” Mace stated.
She then entered an article from Newsweek into the record, pointing out that former President Bill Clinton had mispronounced Harris’s name during his speech at the Democratic National Convention.
Mace continued, listing several high-profile Democrats and public figures who had also mispronounced Harris’s name. “Bill Clinton, along with Al Sharpton, rapper Lil Jon—let’s not forget Joe Biden can’t say her name right, and neither can Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor,” she said.
Mace also cited a segment from “Morning Joe” in which singer Joan Baez reportedly referred to Harris as “a camel.” Mace dismissed the criticism of her own mistake as “fake outrage.”
The congresswoman then introduced what she claimed were screenshots of text messages sent to her by Dyson.
In these messages, according to Mace, Dyson allegedly complimented her looks and sent a flirtatious message following his on-air critique.
“I would also like to enter into the record a screenshot of a text message I received from the esteemed professor from Vanderbilt, Michael Eric Dyson,” Mace said.
“After my CNN interview, he begged me for photos. In this text, he says, after calling me racist on CNN, ‘Shh, don’t tell anybody, we look good together,’ and he sent me a kissy emoji.”
Mace used these alleged messages to argue that Dyson’s criticism of her was insincere.
“The guy says I’m gorgeous in all these photos,” she continued. “I don’t think he’s that bent out of shape on how anyone pronounces Kamala. And if we’re going to have that standard, you gotta hold it to both sides, not just one or the other.”
Dyson’s criticism of Mace on the August 15 CNN broadcast was pointed, accusing her of disrespecting Harris by refusing to pronounce her name correctly.
He argued that such behavior is linked to “the history and legacy of white disregard for the humanity of Black people.” Dyson’s remarks suggested that Mace’s actions reflected a broader issue of racial insensitivity.
This is not the first time Mace has been involved in a public clash over her political positions.
In March, she had a tense exchange with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, who questioned her political decisions as a rape victim, accusing her of inconsistency.
