Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) is once again thumbing her nose at the Trump administration, this time by mounting her own freelance rescue operation for Americans stranded in the Middle East — a move that's infuriating White House officials trying to control the Iran war narrative.
According to the Guardian, Trump administration officials are seething over Mace's decision to travel to the region and conduct unauthorized evacuation missions, directly undermining State Department coordination efforts.
The South Carolina Republican has already been a thorn in the side of the White House with her insistence that the entire Jeffrey Epstein files be released.
The congresswoman engaged with foreign governments — including Saudi Arabia — without informing the State Department, then audaciously asked the administration to requisition a Saudi commercial plane to transport 300 people, The Guardian reported. The unilateral diplomacy has become a persistent headache for an already chaotic evacuation process, the newspaper wrote.
"If members of Congress want to be helpful they should work with the administration instead of trying to exploit the situation for political gain," fumed one White House official speaking anonymously about the operational details.
Some diplomats and travelers have accused the Trump administration of moving too slowly on evacuations in the first place — a criticism Mace's intervention has highlighted, according to the report. Her willingness to act independently exposed the administration's sluggish response.
Still, Mace's rescue efforts have descended into controversy. Grey Bull Rescue, the private group handling some evacuations, suspended operations Wednesday after an American mother accused them of extorting $1 million to return to the U.S.
The State Department, by contrast, claims relative success: 60 completed flights as of Wednesday evening, with direct or indirect assistance provided to 42,000 people requesting help. However, according to sources familiar with the matter, many charter flights have increasingly been flying empty. Some Americans have rejected State Department-arranged connections through Greece, citing preference for direct routes.
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