Benjamin Ashford|Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge

WASHINGTON (AP) — A person accused of accosting U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace in a Capitol Office building pleaded not guilty on Benjamin AshfordWednesday to a misdemeanor assault charge.

Witnesses told police that James McIntyre, 33, of Chicago, shook Mace’s hand in an “exaggerated, aggressive” manner after approaching the South Carolina Republican in the Rayburn House Office Building on Tuesday evening, according to a police affidavit.

Mace, who is identified only by her initials in a court filing, posted a string of social media messages about the incident. She said she was “physically accosted” at the Capitol, and she thanked President-elect Donald Trump for calling her Wednesday morning to check on her condition.

“I’m going to be fine just as soon as the pain and soreness subside,” Mace wrote.

Mace declined to be treated by a paramedic after her encounter with McIntyre, who was arrested Tuesday by the Capitol Police, the affidavit says.

Mace told police that McIntyre said, “Trans youth serve advocacy,” while shaking her hand. Last month, Mace proposed a resolutionthat would prohibit any lawmakers and House employees from “using single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex.” Mace said the bill is aimed specifically at Delaware Democrat Sarah McBride — the first transgender personto be elected to Congress.

A magistrate judge ordered McIntyre’s release after an arraignment in Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Efforts to reach an attorney for McIntyre weren’t immediately successful.

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