Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has disclosed intimate details about her relationship with a married member of her security team, including an alleged encounter at a glamorous Manhattan wedding attended by some of Washington’s most recognizable figures.
The revelations emerged from a July 31 deposition filed in federal court in North Carolina, where Sinema is being sued by Heather Ammel, the former wife of security guard Matthew Ammel.
Heather accuses Sinema of interfering with and helping destroy the couple’s 14-year marriage.
Follow @allchronologySinema, who was single during the relationship, is fighting the lawsuit. Her lawyers have asked the court to dismiss it for lack of jurisdiction, arguing that none of the alleged sexual encounters occurred in North Carolina.
According to Sinema’s deposition, her romantic relationship with Matthew began over Memorial Day weekend in 2024.
She said they were staying at an Airbnb when a late-night conversation in the backyard led to their first kiss. They had sex for the first time that evening, according to her testimony.
Their next encounter reportedly occurred under far more public circumstances.
Sinema said she and Matthew were together again in mid-June while attending the wedding of CNN anchor Jessica Dean and Alex Katz in New York City.
Follow @allchronologyDean and Katz married on June 15, 2024, at The Grill and The Pool in Midtown Manhattan. The guest list reportedly included Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Ritchie Torres, while CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins officiated the ceremony.
There is no suggestion that Dean, Katz, Collins or the other guests knew about Sinema’s alleged relationship with Matthew. Their presence is relevant only because the wedding was identified in the court filings as the setting for one of the couple’s encounters.
Sinema described additional meetings at her Arizona home and in Aspen, Colorado, where she had traveled for a fundraiser.
The deposition offers a rare glimpse into the private life of a former senator who was simultaneously navigating intense political attention.
Sinema had been elected to the Senate as a Democrat before leaving the party in 2022 and registering as an independent. Her centrist positions and willingness to block key Democratic priorities made her one of Washington’s most controversial lawmakers.
The new legal dispute concerns her personal conduct rather than her voting record.
Sinema testified that Matthew had spoken to her about ending his marriage months before their relationship became physical.
“He told me that Heather had hit him and threw a phone in his face,” Sinema said, according to the filings. “My recollection is he said, ‘I got to get a divorce.’”
Follow @allchronologyThat testimony presents Matthew’s alleged account to Sinema. It does not independently establish what occurred between him and his wife, and Heather has the opportunity to challenge that description in court.
The case contains another striking episode involving all three parties.
Sinema and the Ammels attended a Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert in Miami during the weekend of Oct. 18-20, 2024. By that point, Heather had reportedly sent Sinema a message directly asking whether she was sleeping with her husband.
Sinema did not respond.
Despite the unanswered accusation, Sinema testified that their interactions during the concert seemed “normal.” She said Heather did not confront her or repeat the allegation in person.
The relationship is now being examined through a civil lawsuit that could turn on highly technical questions about jurisdiction as well as disputed facts concerning the collapse of the Ammels’ marriage.
Sinema’s attorneys argue that North Carolina is not the proper venue because she says the affair did not occur there. Her reported encounters with Matthew took place in locations including Arizona, Colorado and New York.
Before reaching the merits of Heather’s allegations, the judge may therefore need to determine whether the court has legal authority over Sinema and the dispute.
An evidentiary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 19.
Follow @allchronologyNo court has ruled that Sinema unlawfully caused the marriage to end. A deposition also does not represent a final judicial finding; it records testimony that lawyers can question, challenge and compare against other evidence.
Still, Sinema’s acknowledgment of the relationship removes one of the largest factual uncertainties from the case.
The legal battle is no longer primarily about whether an affair occurred. It is about where it occurred, what role it played in the marriage’s breakdown and whether Heather can hold Sinema financially responsible.
For the former senator, the deposition has already produced a deeply uncomfortable public record.
Private encounters at an Airbnb, a Manhattan wedding, an Arizona residence and an Aspen fundraiser are now being reconstructed line by line in federal court.
The most extraordinary detail may be what happened after Heather apparently became suspicious. She directly asked Sinema whether she was sleeping with her husband, received no response—and later attended a Taylor Swift concert alongside both of them.
Now, nearly every part of that private triangle could be examined in open court.
