Who Is Cynthia West? Thomas Massie Accusations Explained

The former girlfriend of Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie has accused the congressman of offering her hush money in exchange for not speaking out against one of his allies on Capitol Hill, just days before the GOP representative faces a primary against a Trump-endorsed challenger.

Cynthia West, a former congressional aide now running for school board in Florida, alleges that Massie secured her a job in Congress, in the office of Indiana Republican Representative Victoria Spartz, after the pair struck up a romantic relationship. However, West said that Massie soon began engaging in behavior she "wasn't comfortable with," after which she ended the relationship.

West said Massie offered her $5,000 after she said she would be filing a wrongful termination complaint against Spartz. West said she declined this as well as a $60,000 settlement payment from the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR), which would have required her to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).

Massie declined to comment when reached by Axios, and referred to attorney and political ally Steven Doan, who in comments posted to X noted the "absence of any specific, verifiable allegations" from West and her alleged "documented history of making false abuse allegations."

Newsweek has contacted the offices of Massie and Spartz, as well as the OCWR, via email for comment.

West’s allegations first emerged in an interview with the conservative Kentucky lawyer Marcus Carey, posted on the website conceivedinliberty.org.

In the 23-minute interview, West said that Massie privately messaged her on X in August 2024-two months after the death of his wife, Rhonda-and that the pair quickly began an "intense" relationship.

West said that she joined Massie on political excursions and that he encouraged her to leave her job and come to Washington, D.C., to spend more time together. He later secured her a job in Spartz’s office.

However, West said she broke off the relationship after Massie asked her "to engage in behavior that I just wasn't comfortable [with], so I just couldn't stay in that relationship."

West called Massie "emotionally abusive," and said that, shortly after breaking up with him, she found out she had been fired via "text message."

"I hadn't done anything wrong," West said.

When she contacted the OCWR regarding her termination and informed Massie of her pending ethics complaint, West said he offered her "cow money" earned from his farm in Kentucky to "just walk away."

"He had $5,000 that he said he would give me if I just walk away. I didn't take it though."

According to LegiStorm, West worked between December 2024 and March 2025 as an operations and scheduling director for Spartz, who represents Indiana's 5th congressional district. Records from Spartz's office obtained by The Washington Free Beaconshow that West was employed between early January and late March, and that she was paid $17,111.10 during this 12-week period.

A spokesperson for Spartz told Axios that 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.”

West is currently running for the Okaloosa County School Board in Florida, where she is hoping to unseat Brett Hinely, who was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis.

In a recent interview with Florida Politics, she said she was running to improve "transparency and long-term planning” for the county’s schools.

West said in her interview with Carey that she is neither affiliated nor working with any active political candidates in Kentucky, and has not been paid to bring forward the allegations against Massie.

Massie is currently battling the Trump-backed Ed Gallrein in the primary election for Kentucky's 4th congressional district. The race has become the most expensive House primary in history, which Massie has attributed to his clashes with the Trump administration and his criticisms of U.S. support for Israel.

This is a developing story. More to follow.

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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 2:48 AM.