Former senator Kyrsten Sinema sued over alleged affair with married legislative aide

The ex-wife of a legislative aide is suing Kyrsten Sinema due to an alleged affair. According to the plaintiff, Heather Ammel, the former Arizona senator broke up their 14-year marriage through "intentional and malicious interference."

The man in question is Matthew Ammel, who, according to the complaint, served as a member of her security team beginning in April 2022 and then as a salaried member of her Senate staff as a defense and national security fellow.

The complaint includes strong claims about Sinema. For example, that she sent messages about sexual positions to Ammel and that she asked him to bring MDMA-type drugs on a work trip, with the goal that she could guide him through a psychedelic experience. MDMA is a recreational drug that enhances the sensory experience.

Heather Ammel claims that the messages the then-senator exchanged with her husband "exceeded the bounds of a normal working relationship and were of a romantic and lewd nature."

Another situation recounted in the lawsuit is an alleged groping between Sinema and Ammel, which occurred at the Extra Innings Festival in Phoenix in March 2024. According to the text, Ammel told his wife that he "didn't know how to get out of the situation without offending" the senator.

In addition, the lawsuit claims that Sinema's head of security resigned from their position in 2023, commenting to Ammel that they were concerned that Sinema was having "sexual relations with other security members."

Ammel alleges that she suffered damages of more than $25,000, as a "direct and proximate result" of Sinema's actions. In addition to demanding punitive damages, she is asking that the former senator face a jury trial and pay her attorneys' fees.

The case concerns "alienation of affection," a legal concept that allows a spouse to hold a third party liable for interfering with a marriage in a way that causes a loss of love or companionship. Only North Carolina (where the lawsuit was filed) and a few other states recognize this legal figure.

Sinema served in the House of Representatives for 6 years until 2018, when she was elected to the Senate. She remained in the Democratic Party until 2022, when she changed her affiliation to independent. She was noted for being one of the most moderate voices among Democrats during the Biden administration. She even joined Joe Manchin to save a key Senate rule, the filibuster.

The senator did not seek a second term in 2024, so she returned to the private sphere. She currently works at Hogan Lovells, a law firm with offices in London and Washington, D.C.