A panel discussion featuring former U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema was interrupted by two men who claimed to be having affairs with the former Arizona senator. The incident occurred during an event hosted by the Utah Chamber of Commerce and the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, where Sinema, a Brigham Young University graduate, was participating in a discussion on the economy, tech sector, and politics.
Moments into the panel, a man stood up and declared to the audience, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have a confession to make. I am actually having an affair with Kyrsten Sinema.” The man was quickly removed by event staff, but shortly after, another individual made a similar outburst, also claiming to be involved with the former senator. Neither of the hecklers were cited or arrested, and Sinema simply remarked, “I promise I didn’t plan that.”
The disruptions came on the heels of a high-profile lawsuit filed by the ex-wife of a member of Sinema’s former Senate security team. The lawsuit alleges that Sinema had a romantic relationship with the bodyguard, leading to the breakdown of the Ammel’s marriage. Heather Ammel is seeking at least $75,000 in damages from Sinema.
The lawsuit claims that Ammel accompanied Sinema on various trips, including to Napa Valley, Las Vegas, and Saudi Arabia. In 2024, while Sinema was still in office, Heather Ammel reportedly discovered “romantic and lascivious” messages exchanged between her then-husband and the former senator through the encrypted messaging app Signal.
Sinema, who changed her party affiliation from Democratic to independent in 2022, resigned from the Senate after the 2024 election, ending her six-year tenure in office in January 2025. The Independent has reached out to Sinema’s attorney for comment on the latest developments.
