Lusting for the limelight
The congressional office of Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) is in turmoil with terminations and resignations of senior staffers — and a disappearing popcorn machine, reported the conservative Washington Examiner.
Her three senior staffers include her former chief of staff Dan Hanlon, who was fired on Friday, her deputy chief of staff, Richard Chalkey, who resigned, and her legislative director, Randal Meyer, who resigned effective the end of the month.
"The source claimed that working in Mace’s office is a 'toxic work environment' and there could potentially be complete staff turnover by January," the report continued. "One source with direct knowledge of the matter said Hanlon took the popcorn machine on his way out."
All three staffers are four-year alumni of the Trump administration, with Hanlon being a day one Mace staffer.
According to a source, Mace has also lost three junior staffers in recent months to resignations, making that six staffers in total she has lost since October.
Mace, one of a small handful of Republicans who voted to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as Speaker of the House, has faced mounting criticism over her inconsistent voting record, as well as a staff handbook demanding that her aides schedule her a minimum "quota" of TV appearances to maintain her celebrity status.
One source with direct knowledge of the matter said Hanlon took the office popcorn machine on his way out.
The South Carolina congresswoman has taken criticism from her colleagues throughout this Congress, but the criticism has increased since she voted to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker.
"How about apologizing for causing this mess?" Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC) said to Mace on social media during the three-week search for a speaker.
During that same time, Mace said she wouldn't back House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) to become speaker because of past comments about him being similar to a Ku Klux Klan leader, causing even more rift between her and the conference.
Even Fox News has taken notice of Mace's controversy among her colleagues, with host Neil Cavuto telling her in an interview, "A lot of people feel that you're a narcissist."
Mace’s office declined to comment. Hanlon did not respond to a request for comment.
