Overview
- An internal Charleston Airport Police investigation dated Nov. 12, released this week, details witness statements and security records describing Mace berating TSA and officers with profanity and leaving employees visibly upset.
- The probe cites a supervisor’s error misidentifying Mace’s car color as the initial issue but concludes her refusal to follow checkpoint procedures escalated a minor delay into a larger confrontation.
- Records note TSA personnel were working without pay during the federal shutdown and that the actual holdup at the checkpoint lasted only minutes, according to the report and witness accounts.
- Mace disputes the findings, calling the report falsified and a political hit job, denying specific quoted remarks in a CNN interview, and saying she has sought audio or bodycam evidence while threatening legal action.
- Following the incident and disclosures, the airport revised its practices to end direct police escorts for dignitaries, and the episode has drawn public statements from political figures and bipartisan support for airport staff.