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by WILL FOLKS
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On the eve of the second South Carolina Republican gubernatorial debate, first district congresswoman Nancy Mace – one of the frontrunners in the contest to become the Palmetto State’s next chief executive – is being targeted with renewed allegations of infidelity involving a former staffer in her Washington, D.C. office.
The latest round of rumors started on Sunday afternoon (April 19, 2026) when former U.S. congressman George Santos took to his X account to accuse Mace of sleeping with her former congressional chief of staff.
“Rep. Nancy Mace was rumored to have an affair with her female chief of staff, the caveat here is that her own staff made those allegations,” Santos wrote.
Santos did not initially identify the staffer involved. Subsequent social media posts, however, referenced information purportedly obtained from former Mace staffers in response to his overtures. In one of those posts, Santos identified a woman named “Lori.”
“I’m going to hold the line until I find out what really happened with you and Lori!” Santos wrote. “I hope it’s just a nasty political rumor for your sake.”
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It has begun… you hear me @NancyMace
— George Santos (@Georgesantos) April 21, 2026
I’m going to hold the line until I find out what really happened with you and Lori!
I hope it’s just a nasty political rumor for your sake’s. https://t.co/TWU3wk41MT pic.twitter.com/H49QuhattR
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Lorie Khatod, who most recently was listed as a partner for a Colorado-based “global space consultancy,” served as Mace’s congressional chief of staff from November 2023 through October 2024. Her biography with the consultancy described her as “a 22-year former Department of Defense civil servant, 18-year former active duty military spouse (and) respected small business owner with ventures across multiple states.”
The same bio also specifically referenced Khatod’s work with Mace.
“In South Carolina’s first congressional district, she directed initiatives across key committees, managed congressional operations and staff, and ensured legislation and policy alignment with both district and national priorities,” it noted.
This isn’t the first time Santos has leveled such allegations, but it is the first time he publicly named Mace – whom he has branded a “self-aggrandizing manipulator.” As we reported over the 2024 Christmas holiday, Santos posted a similar allegation – although at that time he declined to identify either Mace or her alleged paramour.
Mace was emphatic in her response.
“Everyone is on notice,” Mace noted at the time. “If you print or speak any defamatory information about me, be prepared to hire a brave lawyer and defend yourself in court. I will no longer stand idly by and be falsely attacked by anyone anymore. We’ve seen what happens when people talk about others with a reckless disregard for the truth. My New Year’s resolution: no one gets away with f***ing with me anymore.”
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RELATED | HOW ROM REDDY SOLD OUT
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Sources close to Mace at the time referred to the allegation involving Khatod as “categorically and demonstrably false,” “defamatory” and vowed it would be greeted with legal action.
The timing of the latest allegations against Mace suggest rivals in the 2026 South Carolina governor’s race looking to knock her off of her block. According to the most recent independent surveys, Mace and four-term attorney general Alan Wilson remain the frontrunners in the battle to replace outgoing status quo governor Henry McMaster.
Fifth district congressman Ralph Norman and lieutenant governor Pamela Evette are battling for third place, with businessman Rom Reddy and state senator Josh Kimbrell rounding out the field.
Of interest? Reddy’s top political Svengali is a former advisor to Mace – whose bitter breakup from her ex-fiancé, Charleston entrepreneur Patrick Bryant, has sparked its own civil and criminal docket in the Palmetto State.
While Santos was dropping his allegations against Mace, many of her current and former staffers took to social media to defend her.
“Former Nancy Mace staffer here,” Mace’s longtime advisor Sydney Long wrote on X. ‘This is a pretty ugly way to go after someone. My experience working for her was nothing like what’s being implied here.”
“Current staffer here,” Mace’s press secretary Carlie Baker added. “My time working for Rep. Mace has been positive since day one. My experience here has been nothing like what’s being described. She is a great leader and boss and I am proud to say I work for her.”
Mace will appear alongside Wilson, Norman, Evette, Reddy and Kimbrell at the College of Charleston’s Sottile Theatre at 7:00 p.m. EDT this evening. For information on how to watch the debate, click here.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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5 comments
I have evidence (as I’m the recipient victims) of
Recently fired Officer Harrison Taylor Hodgers fraud.
He forged multiple trespassing and frauded Probate court orders and probate judges signatures.
The fired cops are also behind the assault of an arrested criminal while he was in handcuffs on Johnny Dodds in Mt pleasant in March 2025. I was the witness.
Starbucks Hospital & Bowman Road is the latest facility to be used as a theatre of all the Mt pleasant fraternal far right winged collusion.
I’m filing a criminal and civil case of employment fraud.
Mt pleasant police officers all telling landlords and employers to manufacture evidence to fire us and not pay immigrants.
I was fired because they are desperate to Quash all their evidence that right winged sheriffs and police and clerks and judges/lawyers law enforcement colluding with Carolina businesses to “crack down” in a Malitia anti American anti democratic illegal violation of SC labor laws
SC right to work and Starbucks/ and other global corporation prohibit retaliation of legal citizens raising policy or legal violations.
I am the witness
After I spoke to Fits News in 2025, I naturalized and I asked Department of Homeland Security to investigate mt pleasant police and charleston county police. They did- and claimed that they are all fraud court orders and fake warrants – no sc judges signed anything ever
This is KKK on steroids.
The police cheating scandal is a shameful band aid sugar coated cover y
Up for way deeper issues
These police officers are groomed to be corrupt by their managers
They are just skapegoats for the real criminals.
My number is 7045603459
In SC it’s street cred. If you can’t prove you can screw people you aren’t married to for your own personal enjoyment, how can we expect you to screw the taxpayers for your own personal benefit? We don’t want pesky things like “morals” or “ethics” or “being a decent human being” polluting our government!
Why would ANYBODY give credence to ANYTHING Santos says??? It boggles the mind ….
““Everyone is on notice,” Mace noted at the time. “If you print or speak any defamatory information about me, be prepared to hire a brave lawyer and defend yourself in court. I will no longer stand idly by and be falsely attacked by anyone anymore. We’ve seen what happens when people talk about others with a reckless disregard for the truth. My New Year’s resolution: no one gets away with f***ing with me anymore.””
That’s all well and good if you aren’t simultaneously using the podium of the House of Representatives to personally attack someone – over actions that have nothing to do with official business- from the vantage point that you are immune to liability for defamation. The hypocrisy of that statement is just stunning. So, she gets to drag anyone she wants through the mud, and if you sue her she gets the case dropped on a motion to dismiss, but then if that exact the same person retaliates with their own set of lies – or heck, just something she really doesn’t like, she can sue them. Those events as well as others happening in this state (with a certain cabal of legislators against one of the most popular and highly regarded statewide elected officials) have really led me to believe that there needs to be carve-outs for speech & debate immunity for these legislators when they knowingly lie and individually defame someone – and I’m talking about only natural persons, not legal persons like corporations and nonprofits. At a minimum, the legislator running for any office in election season should have no immunity for lying & defaming someone, particularly when that someone is running against them.
Did Nancy stop dying her hair or start dying her hair? She’s trying to pull off the old lady look. I’m guessing she’s leaving he pearl necklaces in the bedroom.