EXCLUSIVENancy Mace listed her $1.6 million Capitol Hill home on VRBO and rents it out for events... and is now under investigation for overcharging taxpayers $12,000
- Mace expensed $12,276 more than what was allowed in 2023
- READ MORE: Nancy Mace makes extraordinary allegations against her staff
Nancy Mace seemingly overcharged taxpayers by $12,000 for a Washington, D.C. home last year for a home she also listed as a short-term rental.
She's now the subject of a complaint with the Ethics Committee: lawmakers are being asked to probe whether Mace improperly sought reimbursement for costs related to her Capitol Hill row home, the New York Times first reported.
Mace has the $1.6 million Capitol Hill property listed for rent, DailyMail.com can reveal.
A personal website active as of this writing lists it as open to event rentals for 10-24 guests and touts the property as 'perfectly situated a block from the Capitol. Perfect for short events where proximity to the capitol is ideal.'
The home was also listed on VRBO as of April under a host name of 'Ruth M.' Ruth is Mace's middle name.
It's not clear when it was posted on VRBO or for how long - but it's since been taken down.
Nancy Mace overcharged taxpayers by over $12,000 for a Washington, D.C. home last year for a home she also listed as a short-term rental
It's also unclear how many people have rented the property or whether Mace was claiming expenses for the home at the time it was being rented out.
The new rule has a cap of $34,000 for lodging and food per year. Lawmakers are not required to submit receipts - but strongly encouraged to keep them.
Mace co-owns a $1,649,000 Capitol Hill townhouse that she purchased in 2021 with her ex-fiance Patrick Bryant. DailyMail.com reported that they had broken up and were fighting over the home in December.
Documents breaking down Mace's costs seen by DailyMail.com show an estimated total of over $12,000 more than would be allowable for her costs.
Her average monthly reimbursable expenses were $1576 over 2023. She didn't file any expenses in July or August. The average amount claimed on months she did file was $2782. The discrepancy was first highlighted by a Washington Post report.
The home was also listed on VRBO as of April under a host name of 'Ruth M.' Ruth is Mace's middle name
The difference between the expenses she claimed - $27,817 - and the costs she incurred that were eligible for reimbursement -$18,909.39 - is $12,276.40.
The highest month was October 2023 when she declared $4176 in lodging expenses.
A quiet rules change at the start of this Congress allows members to file expenses for food and lodging for the days that they are in Washington, D.C., on official business.
Some 300 members took advantage of the new rules last year and were reimbursed for nearly $6 million.
The members' representational allowance (MRA) allows members to expense hotels and rent within the per diem set by the General Services Administration (GSA) for each day they are in Washington on official business.
It does not, however, allow them to file expenses for mortgage payments or interest on homes they own so that members are not building capital from taxpayer funds.
Only utilities, property taxes and home insurance can be expensed under the program for homeowners. Members and their staff were made expressly aware of this, according to a source who helped usher in the new system.
'We had a lot of questions in the beginning, members saying, 'can we get our lawn care reimbursed, dry cleaning reimbursed, house cleaner reimbursed,' and we've really stuck to, again, insurance, taxes and utilities,' the source said.
But an email sent to staff by Mace in April 2023 and seen by DailyMail.com showed she understood she could only get reimbursed for utilities, insurance and taxes. In the email, she expressly noted she could not file expenses for principal and interest.
Mace's expenses reveal seemingly inconsistent accounting that she has blamed on her staff in an interview with DailyMail.com.
It's not the first time Mace has been under the Ethics' Committee's eye. In early 2024 the committee contacted former staff as part of a probe into her for illegally soliciting campaign donations, two sources who were directly in the probe told DailyMail.com.
Mace's expenses reveal seemingly inconsistent accounting that she has blamed on her staff in an interview with DailyMail.com
It's not the first time Mace has been under the Ethics' Committee's eye. In early 2024 the committee contacted former staff as part of a probe into her for illegally soliciting campaign donations, two sources who were directly in the probe told DailyMail.com
In October Mace urged Fox Business viewers to donate to her campaign website during a TV hit from the Capitol rotunda, violating ethics rules that prohibit fundraising in federal buildings. It was just after she voted to oust Kevin McCarthy from the speakership.
'You're damn right I'm fundraising off of this right now because the establishment is coming after me for taking a principled stand,' Mace boasted to Cavuto. 'And if your viewers want to help out, they can go to NancyMace.org.'
And it isn't the only time she's been accused of mishandling taxpayer money.
'The congresswoman would repeatedly try to get us to use the official account to pay for family travel and business and first class upgrades on international flights, for herself and her family. I had to remind her that was illegal constantly,' a source familiar with the daily operations of the office told DailyMail.com.
Mace declined to comment on the expenses. Her office could not be reached for comment.
