Kyrsten Sinema accused in suit of affair with member of her security team

Former Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona was accused this week in federal court in North Carolina of conducting an affair with a member of her Senate security team, according to a complaint filed by the staffer’s ex‑wife. The complaint names Matthew Ammel, who worked on Ms. Sinema’s staff for two years and is described as a married father of three.

In the lawsuit, Heather Ammel alleges that Ms. Sinema sent sexually suggestive photographs on the encrypted app Signal; chose Mr. Ammel to accompany her on trips to Napa Valley and to the Sphere in Las Vegas; paid for him to receive psychedelic treatment for post‑traumatic stress disorder and other issues; encouraged him to bring drugs on work trips so she could guide him through a psychedelic experience; showered him with gifts and concert tickets; and entered into a sexual relationship that led him to leave his family, the suit says.

The complaint also recounts instances it describes as Ms. Sinema getting "handsy" at a March 2024 event in Phoenix and messages the suit characterizes as lewd, including one alleged photo of Ms. Sinema in a towel. The suit says the Ammels were married in 2010, had three children and that Mr.

Ammel, a veteran who the complaint says suffered post‑traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, joined Ms. Sinema’s staff after retiring from the Army in 2022. The complaint says he stayed in the job for financial security after a superior left in 2023 and that the relationship with Ms.

Key Topics

Politics, Kyrsten Sinema, Las Vegas, Napa Valley, Matthew Ammel, Heather Ammel