Rep. Nancy Mace has never been shy about using social media to shape her public image, but her latest foray into AI-generated political theater has pushed her deeper into the “terminally online” territory her critics say now defines her career. The South Carolina Republican posted a doctored video on X this week depicting herself as a fighter-jet pilot dumping a plane-load of digital excrement onto a man who resembles her former partner, Patrick Bryant.

The clip mirrors one shared last month by President Donald Trump, who used a similar AI video to mock demonstrators participating in nationwide “No Kings” protests. Mace leaned into the reference, captioning her post with a line from Top Gun: “Sorry Goose, but it’s time to buzz the tower.”

The target of her parody was no coincidence. Bryant, a Charleston businessman, recently filed a lawsuit against Mace accusing her of defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. His suit stems from remarks the congresswoman made on the House floor in February, when she accused him of sexual assault and claimed she had discovered a cache of more than 10,000 digital photos and videos showing Bryant and other men drugging and abusing women, including herself.

“I accidentally uncovered some of the most heinous crimes against women imaginable,” Mace told lawmakers at the time. “We are talking about rape, nonconsensual photos, non-consensual videos of women and underage girls.” Bryant has denied her claims outright. “I have never assaulted or raped any woman,” he said earlier this month. “For almost two years, I’ve had to stay quiet while completely false accusations were spread about me.”

Mace has continued to escalate the conflict online. Alongside another AI video portraying Bryant tossing money into the air, she wrote: “It’s almost as if this alleged rapist and peeping tom is trying to write me another check.” She added that she had sought sanctions against him in court and accused him of “weaponizing the court” against her and another woman. “I will file a motion to dismiss and counterclaim abuse of process, conspiracy, and you guessed it – more attorney fees,” she wrote in a follow-up post.

Bryant has since asked a judge for a temporary restraining order to stop the congresswoman from posting about him. In his filing, he said the order is intended “to prevent Nancy Ruth Mace from continuing to publish baseless claims about me without offering a single piece of actual evidence.”

The increasingly personal battle has unfolded as Mace has taken on a larger national role, most recently joining several House Republicans — including Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Lauren Boebert — in siding with Democrats to force a vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. Mace has framed that push as part of her long-standing advocacy for sexual assault survivors, citing her own experience as a victim as a teenager.

But the congresswoman has also drawn criticism for her tone and conduct. Earlier this month, she was accused of berating officers at Charleston International Airport in an expletive-laden rant. She later defended herself in more than 100 social-media posts.