Senator Had Sex With Married Security Guard at CNN Star’s Wedding
Kyrsten Sinema’s liaisons with her bodyguard are detailed in new court filings.
SARAH SILBIGER/REUTERS
Kyrsten Sinema’s affair with her married bodyguard has been detailed in new court filings that reveal a secret tryst at a CNN host’s wedding.
The former senator opened up about her affair with Matthew Ammel in a deposition that took place on July 31 and was filed this week in the United States District Court in North Carolina, the Arizona Republic reported Saturday. Sinema is being sued for the affair by Ammel’s ex-wife, Heather, who is accusing her of breaking up their 14-year marriage.
Sinema told lawyers for Heather that the romance began with a late-night kiss in in the backyard of an Airbnb on Memorial Day weekend in 2024. She said they had sex for the first time that night, and the next time they got together was at CNN anchor Jessica Dean’s wedding to Alex Katz in New York in mid-June of the same year.
The CNN Newsroom host tied the knot on June 15, 2024 at The Grill and Pool in midtown Manhattan. New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Richie Torres were also in attendance, and CNN Washington Correspondent Kaitlan Collins was the officiant.

Jessica Dean and Alex Katz's New York wedding.
Instagram/Kait Pena
Sinema detailed a number of other encounters in the deposition, including at her home in Arizona and in Aspen, Colorado, where she was for a fundraiser.
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Sinema was single at the time of the affair and is fighting the suit. Lawyers for the senator have filed a motion to dismiss the case for lack of jurisdiction, since Sinema says their affair never took place within North Carolina.

An excerpt from former Senator Krysten Sinema's deposition.
Screen grab
Sinema also said Ammel had told her as early as January 2024 that he wanted to divorce his wife.
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“He told me that Heather had hit him and threw a phone in his face,” Sinema said, according to court filings. “My recollection is he said, ‘I got to get a divorce.’”

Matthew Ammel (checked shirt) and Kyrsten Sinema (polka dot top) at an Arizona Legislature hearing in 2025.
ACTV screenshot
Sinema and the Ammels attended a Taylor Swift Eras tour concert together in Miami over the Oct. 18-20 weekend, after Heather Ammel had sent a message to Sinema asking if she was sleeping with her husband, to which the former senator did not reply.
Sinema said their interactions at the concert were “normal” and Heather Ammel didn’t confront her or make any accusations.

Taylor Swift performs onstage during The Eras Tour at Hard Rock Stadium on October 18, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
John Shearer/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Mana
The case continues with an evidentiary hearing on Aug. 19.
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