George Stephanopoulos hammered for questioning Rep. Nancy Mace's support for Trump as a victim of rape

ABC News host George Stephanopoulos was criticized after questioning Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on Sunday about her support for former President Trump, who has been found civilly liable for sexual abuse, as a victim of a rape herself.

"You've endorsed Donald Trump for president," Stephanopoulos said to Mace on ABC's "This Week," after playing a past clip of her discussing being a rape victim.

"Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape," the ABC anchor told Mace. "How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?" 

"Well, I will tell you, I was raped at the age of 16," Mace said. "Any rape victim will tell you, I've lived for 30 years with an incredible amount of shame for being raped. I didn't come forward because of that judgment and shame that I felt. It's a shame that you will never feel, George."

Rep. Nancy Mace appears on "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos.  (ABC screenshot)

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"I’m not going to sit here on your show and be asked a question meant to shame me about another potential rape victim," Mace said. "I’m not going to do that." 

Stephanopoulos said it wasn't about "shaming" her and said his question was about the allegations against Trump in the E. Jean Carroll case. 

Conservative commentators criticized Stephanopoulos for his line of questioning, as many noted the ABC host previously worked for former president Bill Clinton. Clinton has been accused of sexual misconduct by several women, including Juanita Broaddrick, who said he raped her in the late 1970s. Clinton has denied the allegations and never been criminally charged with any wrongdoing.

"The lowest point of @GStephanopoulos's career," Michael Caputo, a former Trump official, wrote on social media.

"I'm no fan of Nancy mace, but Stephanopoulos extremely crossed a line here, and I'm shocked that none of his producers thought to stop this moment before it went on air," author Bethany Mandel wrote in reaction to the clip. 

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., also defended Mace and suggested ABC put Stephanopoulos on the "bench."

CNN's Kasie Hunt brought on CNN host Michael Smerconish on Monday to discuss the exchange between Mace and Stephanopoulos. He argued Stephanopoulos' questioning was imprecise, but said Mace should have answered the question.

"So, just to be clear, Michael, that question was as to how could she support Donald Trump, who has been found civilly liable for sexual assault, rape? He said rape and the question considering her own history was, what was your takeaway from this exchange?" 

"Well, I appreciate the fact that you were much more precise than was George Stephanopoulos because I watched it, and then early this morning I pulled the verdict slip. I have it in my hand. He wasn't found to have raped Jean Carroll. It was sexual abuse that he was found civilly responsible for it," Smerconish responded, noting that none of it was a good thing. 

"So I thought that the way in which the question was asked was imprecise. And I thought that she was evasive. Of course, I'm sympathetic to her as a rape victim, but despite the fact that she's a rape victim, she should have answered the question he was asking, which is, how can you, of all people, be comfortable supporting him given the outcome of this case?"

He also said it was not an unfair question to ask. 

George Stephanopoulos questioned Rep. Nancy Mace's endorsement of Donald Trump on Sunday, as a victim of rape, during an interview.  (Left: (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images), Right: (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images))

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Several liberal pundits rushed to defend Stephanopoulos after the exchange went viral.

Former CNN host John Harwood said it was obvious Stephanopoulos was "not trying to shame" Mace. 

A federal jury decided Trump must pay E. Jean Carroll more than $83 million in damages after he denied allegations he raped her in the 1990s. The jury decided Trump must pay $18.3 million in compensatory damages, and $65 million in punitive damages.

A federal jury in New York City decided last year that Trump was not liable for rape, but was liable for sexual abuse and defamation. The former president was ordered to pay $5 million in that trial.

Fox News Digital reached out to ABC News for comment.

Fox News' Jeffrey Clark and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Hanna Panreck is an associate editor at Fox News.