Former Senator Kyrsten Sinema confessed under oath to a sexual relationship with her own married security guard. The explosive deposition details are now public as the ex-Arizona lawmaker fights to kill a "homewrecker" lawsuit heading to court next week.
Heather Ammel, the bodyguard's ex-wife, filed suit against Sinema using North Carolina's "alienation of affection" statute, claiming the affair destroyed her 14-year marriage. She's going after at least $75,000 in damages. And based on what Sinema admitted during a July 31 deposition in Raleigh, the former independent senator isn't exactly denying the core allegations, according to reports.
Sinema told lawyers the whole thing kicked off around Memorial Day 2024 at a California Airbnb in Napa. "Matt kissed me. We went inside and had sex," she testified. They weren't alone at the property either. Friends named Penny and Grant Croissant were there, along with another member of her security team. Cozy getaway!
It didn't stop in wine country. The following month, Sinema flew to New York City for CNN anchor Jessica Dean's wedding. She and Matthew Ammel booked separate hotel rooms, but Sinema confirmed they were intimate in hers during the trip. By mid-July, they were hooking up at her Washington apartment after catching a red-eye from the West Coast together.
Then came an August trip to Aspen that Sinema characterized as a "fundraising" excursion. More intimacy followed. She conveniently couldn't recall a late September encounter in Washington, though her bodyguard lover confirmed it happened during his own sworn testimony. By October 2024, they were together again at Sinema's Phoenix residence.
Sinema fully acknowledged she knew Ammel had a wife and three kids the entire time.
Lawyers grilled her about steamy texts and photos exchanged between the pair. One particular image showed Sinema wrapped in a towel. Her defense? "I'm an endurance athlete. So a photograph of me with cupping marks is about sports." She then added she couldn't specifically remember sending that picture. Sure.
Another message she sent read: "Putting my hand on your heart. I'll see you soon. I miss you." When asked whether a wife might be alarmed reading that on her husband's phone, Sinema simply replied, "Yes."
Heather Ammel painted a gut-wrenching picture of her discovery. She said her husband came home "severely intoxicated" while they were visiting her parents. She found a message from Sinema on his phone that read: "I keep waking up during my sleep and reaching over for your arms to hold me."
Sinema's legal team wants the entire case tossed, arguing the relationship never took place in North Carolina where the suit was filed. A court hearing on that question is set for August 19.
Sinema left the Democratic Party to serve as an independent before wrapping up her single Senate term in January 2025. Now she's starring in a very different kind of political drama.
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