Kyrsten Sinema disclosed having sex multiple times with her then-married former bodyguard Matthew Ammel in various cities across the country in a deposition as part of her “homewrecker” lawsuit she is facing in North Carolina.
Sinema, a former Democrat-turned-independent U.S. senator from Arizona, is being sued by Heather Ammel, the ex-wife of Matthew Ammel. She is accused of breaking up their 14-year marriage.
Sinema, who is not married, did not deny the coast-to-coast affair. Instead, she argued it did not happen in North Carolina, so she shouldn’t be sued under the state’s rare “homewrecker” law.
In a July 31 deposition, Sinema said she first had sex with Matthew Ammel in 2024.
Sinema and Matthew Ammel were staying at an Airbnb in Napa, California,
around Memorial Day when they first kissed, she said.
“We were staying at an Airbnb in Napa, California. We were outside. Matt kissed me. We went inside and had sex,” Sinema said, according to a deposition transcript.
They were at the property with Sinema’s friends, Grant and Penny Croissant, and another member of her security team, Sinema said.
The affair continued a month later, when Sinema attended the wedding of CNN anchor Jessica Dean in New York City. Sinema and Matthew Ammel had separate hotel rooms at the The Edition Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. They were intimate in Sinema’s room, she said in the deposition.
Sinema and Matthew Ammel continued having sex at her Washington, D.C., apartment in July 2024 and in Aspen, Colorado, during a late August 2024 fundraising trip.
Sinema said she did not recall whether they had another encounter in Washington in late September, though Matthew Ammel confirmed they did in his deposition. The affair continued into October at her house in Phoenix.
Sinema made the comments during a deposition at a law office in Raleigh. The documents were filed Aug. 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina Western Division.
A lawyer also pressed Sinema on text messages that she sent to Matthew Ammel, including a picture of Sinema in a towel. She said that the photo was “about sports” because she is an endurance athlete and the photo was of her cupping marks.
In another message, Sinema said, “Putting my hand on your heart. I'll see you soon. I miss you.”
“Is that the type of message that you sent to other security guards or other members of your security detail?” the lawyer asked.
Sinema said she could not recall whether she sent a similar message to her other security detail.
“You understand, Ms. Sinema, don't you, that a wife reading this might get concerned about who is sending her husband that kind of message referring to putting his -- her hand on his heart? Can you see that?” the lawyer asked.
Sinema answered “yes.”
Heather Ammel also sat for a deposition in the case. She agreed that she cannot dispute that the romantic and sexual relationship between Sinema and Matthew Ammel happened exclusively outside of North Carolina before Nov. 1, 2024, which is when the couple separated.
The next step in the case will be an evidentiary hearing Aug. 19, according to court documents.
Stephanie Murray covers national politics and the Trump administration for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. She co-hosts “The Gaggle,” The Republic’s weekly politics podcast. Reach her at stephanie.murray@usatodayco.com, on X and TikTok @stephanie_murr and on Instagram @stephaniemurray.news.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'We went inside and had sex.' Sinema details affair with bodyguard
