Rep. Thomas Massie Embroiled in Allegations of Romantic Relationship and Hush Money
A former congressional aide now running for school board in Florida, Cynthia West, is accusing Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.) of offering her thousands of dollars to conceal their romantic relationship, which she says began just months after Massie's first wife died. The woman said Massie got her a job on Capitol Hill from which she was dismissed after refusing his requests to engage in behavior that she wasn't comfortable with.
West detailed the allegations in a video interview with Kentucky attorney Marcus Carey. She said Massie first messaged her on X in mid-August 2024, less than two months after the death of his high school sweetheart and wife of more than 30 years. The pair formed a very romantic, intense relationship, according to West, who said she visited Massie at his home in Kentucky and went on trips with him, including to South Africa, where Massie addressed the Libertarian Society of South Africa in late November 2024.
Around that time, West says, Massie asked her to move to Washington, D.C., securing her a job in the office of Rep. Victoria Spartz (R., Ind.), a close friend of Massie's who backed him for House speaker and attended his wedding. Shortly after she started the job, West said Massie began asking her to engage in behavior that she wasn't comfortable with, so she ended up breaking off the relationship. She was then fired from Spartz's office after six weeks on the job, she said, prompting her to file a complaint with the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights for retaliatory discharge.
According to West, she informed Massie that she had named him as a witness in the complaint, and he was very angry, offering her $5,000 to just walk away. West declined Massie's offer as well as a $60,000 offer from the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights to settle the case, she said. The settlement offer would have required West to sign a non-disclosure agreement, something she said she can't do.
Congressional records corroborate elements of West's story. They show that West indeed worked for Spartz's office, which paid West $17,111.10 over the course of 12 weeks, between January 1, 2025, and March 31, 2025, for work as Director of Operations and Scheduling. A spokesman for Spartz said West held a temporary 90-day probationary position with our office, and her employment was not extended beyond that period due to unsatisfactory job performance, adding that the office cannot comment on the details of Ms. West's pending allegations.
The allegations come as Massie, a bitter Trump foe, faces a high-profile primary fight against the Trump-backed retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein. Massie routinely votes against legislation the White House supports, prompting Trump to describe him as the worst Republican Congressman and an almost guaranteed NO VOTE each and every time.