Donald Trump’s pick for Congress hurled expletive-laden texts at his former acting chief of staff: report

A Republican congressional candidate whom former President Donald Trump endorsed got into a text message spat with Trump's one-time Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney this week after he swiped at her campaign in a news interview.

“She’s not the best candidate by any stretch of imagination," Mulvaney, an ex-Congressman who supports incumbent United States Representative Nancy Mace (R), told NBC News on Sunday. "And I guess it’s enough for Donald Trump that she’s not Nancy Mace."

Screenshots of the exchanges between the South Carolina natives were obtained by The Stateand published on Wednesday.

“You really are a true piece of sh*t,” Katie Arrington, a former state legislator and Defense Department official in the Trump Administration, wrote to Mulvaney, triggering a string of back-and-forth jabs.

“Ha! You have no idea. What did I do now?” Mulvaney replied.

“You’re just not the person I thought you were and I guess that is what it is good luck Godspeed don’t worry I’ll keep all those text From back in 2018 and I’ll let you talk to me about while we work together in the Trump administration I won’t make those public and make you look like a jack ass," she continued. “Because then you really would look like the piece of sh*t that you turning out to be.”

The State

Mulvaney fired back in kind.

“Excellent. Godspeed and piece of s--- in consecutive texts,” he said. “You need to realize that you might be unstable. Also: punctuation 😉."

Arrington was undeterred.

"Nope just can’t stand two faced folks.. No wonder you were fired and as an Irish catholic sent to Northern Ireland,” Arrington continued, in reference to Trump terminating Mulvaney and replacing him with then-Congressman Mark Meadows (R-North Carolina). Mulvaney was reassigned as special envoy to Northern Island, where he served from 2020-2021.

“Funny how you never correct reports when they have your job title incorrect and remind them you were only acting," she quipped.

The State

Mulvaney returned fire.

“And now we have religion. Again: you may be unfit for office. Seriously. It may be time for some deep introspection," he said.

“Ditto,” Arrington responded. “Pls."

The State

In comments to The State, Mulvaney said that “Katie apparently took exception to a comment I made in the press that she wasn’t the best candidate. If that is what set her off, then politics might not be the best place for her."

The Arrington campaign, meanwhile, did not deny the veracity of the back-and-forth with Mulvaney. Instead, spokesperson Chris D’Anna accused Mulvaney of being a petty leaker who betrayed Trump.

"It’s disappointing that Mick would leak the contents of a private conversation. Mick Mulvaney and Nancy Mace teaming up together is par for the course, considering they both used President Trump to advance their own careers, only to stab him in the back," D'Anna said. “We wish them nothing but the best in their quest to be the leaders of the Never Trump Movement.”

Mace's campaign manager, Austin McCubbin, called Arrington a liar.

“Our opponent can’t help but lie, as she seemingly does anytime her mouth is open," he said. "If that’s how our opponent treats Republicans who disagree with her, how can she represent all constituents — even the ones who don’t vote for her?”