Former U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Affair with Security Detail Member
Former U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema has admitted to being in a romantic relationship with a member of her security detail while she was in office, as stated in legal documents. However, she disputes being held accountable for the breakup of the man's marriage, which his ex-wife is suing her for. The lawsuit, filed in a North Carolina federal court, seeks financial compensation from Sinema, who represented Arizona in Congress for one term before leaving office last year.
Heather Ammel, the ex-wife, claims that she and her husband had a strong and loving marriage until Sinema intervened and pursued him despite knowing he was married. Sinema, in a signed declaration, acknowledged that her relationship with Matthew Ammel turned romantic in May 2024 and became physically intimate over the following months in various locations. The Ammels separated in November 2024, according to the lawsuit.
North Carolina is among the states that allow spouses to sue for "alienation of affection" when a third party is believed to have caused the breakdown of their marriage. Sinema's legal team refutes the allegations made by Heather Ammel, stating that Sinema's actions did not significantly connect her to North Carolina and that a single message sent to Matthew Ammel after he had already moved out would not have influenced the end of the marriage.
The lawsuit claims that Sinema's head of security hired Matthew Ammel after his retirement from the Army, and that Heather Ammel discovered romantic messages between Sinema and her husband in early 2024. Despite this, Matthew Ammel continued to work for Sinema and was given a job on her Senate staff while also serving as her bodyguard. The lawsuit was initially filed in state court but was later moved to federal court.
Sinema chose not to run for reelection in 2024 after leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent. She currently works for a legal and lobbying firm based in Washington, D.C.