The entirety of Rep. Nancy Mace's, R-S.C., Washington, D.C. staff has reportedly turned over since November 1, 2023, three sources close to the situation told The Daily Beast.
Former employees alleged a "toxic" workplace, with one former senior employee noting to the Daily Beast that Mace was "abusive" in her methods of using workplace software to excessively communicate with staffers. The source claimed that Mace's correspondence was "constant," adding that she would “micromanage the office all day and into the night and early morning.”
“If she needed us, we had to answer within eight minutes,” another former staffer alleged in describing how Mace had reportedly called employees late at night on Christmas Eve. “Nancy is delusional as a boss,” they continued. “She says nothing publicly without her consultants or senior staffers telling her to, but takes credit for everything. She’s a walking teleprompter.”
The ex-employee also told the Daily Beast that Mace "has no idea what it actually means to be a member of Congress and is too scared and self-conscious to deal with other people, so she accomplished nothing.”
“All this is why pretty much every staffer and fellow member on the Hill thinks she’s a joke. Also a big reason why she’s only able to hire former George Santos staffers right now," the former staffer said.
Other former workers described a “demoralizing environment for staff," and a control-hungry Mace who "didn’t see the staff as people but as property.”
Lori Khatod, Mace's new chief of staff, did not seem concerned by the total turnover, calling it a “non-issue" and writing in a text, “New coach, new team in the DC office."
The Daily Beast's report also described an incident in December in which Khatod called the Capitol Police on Mace's former chief of staff, Dan Hanlon, who was fired days earlier. Khatod had attempted to send other employees home early, but some ultimately stayed behind.
“At that moment, I felt the most unsafe I ever had on the Hill, when I realized she was using the Capitol Police to intimidate staff,” one staffer said.
Khatod in a statement related to the accusations surrounding Mace and Hanlon said, “Like most offices, we do not discuss internal processes. We adhere and accommodate employees whose sincerely held religious beliefs, practices or observances conflict with regular work requirements.”
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