India, Nov. 7 -- South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace on Thursday responded to damning reports about her ex-fiance, Patrick Bryant, filing a lawsuit accusing her of orchestrating a false sexual assault narrative. The complaint, lodged Thursday in Charleston County, claims the congresswoman conspired with a friend's estranged wife to damage Bryant's reputation and that of another acquaintance, Eric Bowman.

Bryant, a Charleston businessman, alleges Mace fabricated an assault story she later aired in an explosive speech on the House floor in February, where she named four men, including Bryant, whom she accused of drugging, molesting, and filming women without consent.

In his lawsuit, Bryant claims those accusations were entirely false and part ...