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Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Capitol Police have arrested an individual who "physically accosted" Rep. Nancy Mace, the congresswoman said. In a statement published to her personal X account, Mace claimed she suffered minor injuries in the alleged Tuesday night assault, stating, "One new brace for my wrist and some ice for my arm, and it'll heal just fine."
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Mace identified the suspect as a pro-transgender activist.
"Your tr*ans violence and threats on my life will only make me double down," she said, adding the individual who assaulted her was arrested by Capitol Police.
In a statement on her House representative X account, Mace said the incident occurred on Capitol grounds and was over her "fight to protect women."
Capitol Police confirmed to UPI in an emailed statement that 33-year-old James McIntyre of Illinois was arrested and facing a charge of assaulting a government official.
The alleged assault occurred in the Rayburn House Office Building, with Capitol Police stating the incident was reported just before 6 p.m.
McIntyre had been screened by security prior to entering the Rayburn House building, which was opened to the public at the time of the incident, police said.
Mace, R-S.C., recently sparked controversy by submitting a bill to ban transgender individuals from using Capitol Hill bathrooms that align with their gender identity.
Though she did not explain how the measure would be enforced, she did state it was targeted at Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, a Democrat from Delaware who will be the first transgender member of Congress when she is sworn in this January.
"Biological men do not belong in private women's spaces. Period. Full stop. End of story," she said on X announcing the bill.
Although Mace and other conservatives argue that the ban is for safety reasons, studies have shown that there is no empirical support for such bans. There is also no evidence that transgender people using bathrooms that match their gender identity increases safety risks.
After Mace's announcement, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced a ban on transgender individuals using women's bathrooms on Capitol Hill.
Earlier this month, Capitol Police arrested 15 demonstrators holding a sit-in protest in a Cannon House Office Building women's bathroom closest to Johnson's office in protest.
Twenty-five people participated in the protest, including Chelsea Manning, a former U.S. Army intelligence officer who was convicted of violating the U.S. Espionage Act in July 2013.
