Freshman Republican Nancy Mace on condemning Trump: 'I don't operate out of fear'

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Rep. Mace on turning against Trump: 'I don't operate out of fear'

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., argues that 'rhetoric has real consequences' following violence at the U.S. Capitol.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told "America’s Newsroom" on Tuesday that she doesn’t "operate out of fear" regarding her decision to turn on President Trump following last week's violence at the U.S. Capitol.

Mace said she also doesn’t "operate on what the next election is going to look like."

"I'm a single working mom of two kids," she continued. "I’m a constitutional conservative and I’ve been joined by constitutional conservatives both in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House, both of my U.S. senators also supported us on the certification of the Electoral College last week."

Mace went on to say she believes "it would mean a lot to this country if Republicans and Democrats would raise their hand and take responsibility for the things and the violence and the rhetoric" leading up to the deadly incident at the Capitol.

The riot left five people dead, including a veteran who reportedly served four tours with the Air Force, and a U.S. Capitol Police officer who died after suffering injuries. Dozens of people were arrested and at least 14 officers were wounded during the demonstrations, authorities said.

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Trump invited supporters to rally in Washington Jan. 6, saying it would be "wild," and gave a speech in which he said those rallying would march "peacefully" to the Capitol. During the speech, he repeated the unproven claim that the election was stolen from him and told his supporters that he would "never concede."

During his remarks, he renewed pressure on Vice President Mike Pence, claiming he should decertify the results of the presidential election and send it "back to the states," claiming that if Pence did that, Trump would be president for another four years.

Mace said what she now sees "is that rhetoric has real consequences."

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"Someone threatened to shoot me on social media because I wasn't ‘fighting for the president enough,’" she said. "This isn't who we are as a nation. It’s un-American and we're better than this."

When asked on Thursday if she still believed in Trump, the man she helped elect in 2016, Mace said, "No" and added that she "can’t condone" his rhetoric, The State reported. The newspaper said her stance was "a stunning departure" for the freshman member of Congress whose own political rise is tied to Trump’s presidency.

Trump acknowledged that he bears some blame for the Capitol riot last week during a conversation with House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, a source familiar told Fox News.

Two sources say McCarthy, R.-Calif., relayed the president’s sentiment on a call Monday with the House GOP Conference.

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McCarthy, on the call Monday with Republicans, agreed that Trump bore blame for the unrest, which sent Congress into lockdown as lawmakers met to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

Following the violence, Congress returned and certified the Electoral College vote early Thursday, formally giving Joe Biden his presidential victory.

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"I had to walk through a crime scene to go vote in what should have been a ceremonial vote on the floor of the chamber in the middle of the night last week after the violent attacks on our nation's Capitol," Mace said. "It was a very sad day for our country."