Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have publicly defended their conduct after recent airport security incidents, responding to Rep. Nancy Mace’s (R-S.C.) public criticism of TSA agents who confronted her at Charleston International Airport. Mace, who is running for governor of South Carolina, reportedly berated security personnel and claimed they treated her unfairly during an airport security incident.
In a Tuesday evening Facebook post, Scott said Mace had invoked his name ‘for reasons that are unclear’ and that his experiences at the airport had been positive ‘without exception.’ He also thanked airport police for taking extra security precautions due to death threats lobbed against him. ‘It is never acceptable to berate police officers, airport staff, and TSA agents who are simply doing their jobs, nor is it becoming of a Member of Congress to use such vulgar language when dealing with constituents,’ Scott wrote.
The statement comes after an altercation last week, in which Mace ‘began loudly cursing and making derogatory comments’ toward airport security, according to an incident report filed by a police officer. The confrontation apparently occurred when M, who is running for governor in South Carolina, also said the security ‘would never treat Tim Scott like this’ and berated TSA agents.
Mace has repeatedly criticized the security officials involved and defended her actions since Wired first reported the incident, accusing an American Airlines gate agent and several officers of conspiring to lie on the report and vowing legal action against them. ‘All federally elected officials including Senators Scott and Graham use the same Crew Member Access Point at airports,’ she wrote in one post. ‘That’s the federal security protocol. Maybe check your facts next time.’
Mace has posted on social media about the incident more than a dozen times, calling on Charleston International Airport CEO Elliott Summey and others to resign. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) chimed in to support his fellow South Carolina senator Tuesday evening, writing on social media that he too has had ‘nothing but positive, respectful engagement’ with the airport security.
‘The men and women I have encountered – from security to airport leadership – are professional and diligent in the performance of their duties and I am honored to represent them in the U.S. Senate,’ he wrote. Scott also wrote that he does not use profanity ‘in public or private’ and that members of Congress work for law enforcement, not vice versa.
‘For those who want to invoke my name, please have the courtesy to note my actions and how I treat police officers, TSA agents, and fellow travelers with the respect they deserve,’ Scott wrote in the post.