Federal prosecutors dropped charges against a trans youth activist from Chicago accused of violently shaking the hand of Republican South Carolina U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace in Washington, D.C.
James McIntyre pleaded not guilty in December to a charge of misdemeanor assault of a government official after confronting the anti-trans politician in a building near the U.S. Capitol.
According to the charges, McIntyre shook the politician’s hand in an “exaggerated, aggressive” manner while telling her “trans youth deserve advocacy.”
The representative had led an attempt to ban the first transgender woman to serve in Congress — Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del. — from using women’s bathrooms.
Prosecutors on Tuesday dropped the case against McIntyre without explaining the decision in a court filing in D.C. Superior Court.
McIntyre said Wednesday he was “pleased but not surprised” the charges were dropped, adding that the case was meant “to criminalize anyone who advocates for the needs of our trans youth,” according to a statement.
“This experience has been traumatic, but the outpouring of support from my community, colleagues and friends has meant everything,” he said.
McIntyre lives on the North Side and co-founded the Illinois chapter of Foster Care Alumni of America.
Shortly after the handshake, Mace used the incident to raise campaign funds, claiming she was “physically accosted” by a “pro-trans man.”
Mace said, in a statement: “When a man can physically assault a woman in the halls of Congress, with impunity, it sends an appalling message to every woman in America. If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.
“I was injured, intentionally, and I am still in pain. I filed charges, and they were inexplicably ignored. But I will not be. I will not back down. I will not be intimidated. And I sure as hell won’t stay silent,” she said in the statement.
According to the charges, McIntyre approached Mace to shake her hand on Dec. 10, 2024, inside the Rayburn House Office Building.
As she put out her hand, he “took her hand with both of his hands and shook her arm up and down in an exaggerated, aggressive hand shaking motion,” according to the charges.
Mace said she was “intimidated” and could not pull away. She refused medical attention but she told police she had pain in her wrists, arm, armpit and shoulder, according to the charges.
At least one person who saw the interaction disputed that it was anything but a handshake.
Elliott Hinkle, a Wyoming advocate for youth in foster care, told the Washington Post he saw the interaction during a reception the night of Dec. 10 at the Rayburn building. McIntyre reached out for Mace’s hand, and she shook it. He shook her hand with both of his, Hinkle said.
“What we witnessed was a handshake, a passionate shake, but it didn’t look like an assault or intended aggression,” Hinkle said.