Kyrsten Sinema Allegedly Guided Her Bodyguard Through a "Psychedelic Experience" Using MDMA

The world can feel like a truly unforgiving place. However, sometimes a story pops up that is still sad but has much lower stakes than other atrocities. Cast your minds back to 2013, when Barack Obama was weeks away from his second inauguration. The Washington Post profiled a new addition to the House of Representatives: Kyrsten Sinema, a recently elected Democrat from Arizona.

There was much to learn about Sinema, but one aspect of her election was record-breaking. She was the first openly bisexual woman to be elected to Congress. After serving three terms in the House of Representatives, she was elected to the Senate in 2019. This is where things get sticky, as during that time, Sinema allegedly had an affair with a bodyguard that led to a lawsuit. Here's what we know.

News of Sinema's alleged affair with her bodyguard broke when a lawsuit brought against the former Congresswoman reached federal court. According to CBS News, Sinema is being sued by the ex-wife of Matthew Ammel, who claims their tryst led to the breakup of the jilted woman's marriage.

Heather Ammel is seeking at least $75,000 in damages from Sinema under a bizarre North Carolina law. This legal code allows an abandoned spouse to sue a third party for "alienation of affection" in order to seek financial compensation. In the lawsuit, Heather says she and Matthew had "a good and loving marriage" with "genuine love and affection," before Sinema inserted herself into their legally-binding relationship.

The alleged affair lasted from the fall of 2023 to the end of 2024. During this time, Matthew stopped wearing his wedding ring in the summer of 2024. That's also when Sinema hired him as her national security fellow in her Senate office while he worked for her campaign as a bodyguard. "Mr. Ammel stated it was best for 'public optics' so it wouldn't look like Defendant was putting her hands on a married man when they were out at concerts and various other public events," per the complaint.

Matthew suffered from PTSD following military deployments in Afghanistan and the Middle East. In January 2024, Heather discovered messages from Sinema to Matthew that were sent via the encrypted app Signal, reports Time. Sinema had been sending Matthew suggestive messages that included a photo of the Congresswoman wearing only a towel. In one, she told Matthew he should bring MDMA on a work trip so she could "guide him through a psychedelic experience," for his PTSD.

Two months later, Matthew reportedly revealed to his then-wife that Sinema had been inappropriately touching him, but he "didn’t know how to get out of the situation without offending." Matthew allegedly spent the night with Sinema on multiple occasions in various locations, including with her friends at a private Airbnb. When Heather confronted Matthew about the affair, he fessed up and asked for a divorce. They separated in November 2024.