U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana’s 5th Congressional District is vehemently denying any knowledge of a hush-money allegation tangentially tied to her office in a convoluted tale that involves Kentucky U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie not a week before his primary.
National eyes are on Massie’s race, where President Donald Trump has endorsed his challenger, Ed Gallrein ― now a familiar dynamic.
A Florida woman named Cynthia West, who had a romantic relationship with Massie from 2024 to 2025, posted a video this week in which she said that Massie got her a job with Spartz’ congressional office. She alleges that she was fired via text after she and Massie broke up. According to LegiStorm, West worked in Spartz’ office from December 2024 to March 2025.
West said she filed a complaint against Spartz with the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights and listed Massie as a witness to her complaint.
“She was engaging in behavior that I was concerned about,” West said of Spartz.
That’s when she claims Massie offered her $5,000 to “just walk away.”
The Enquirer has been in contact with West for this article. She said she would consider an interview but did not respond to follow-up text messages.
Massie said in a statement to The Enquirer that West’s claims of inappropriate conduct are false.
I’ve never offered anyone money in exchange for their silence,” he said.
He went on to say no ethics claims have ever been filed against him since he joined Congress 14 years ago.
“I have consulted legal counsel and we are considering all options,” he said.
In a statement posted to X, Spartz said West’s video is the first time she ever heard of a $5,000 payment, any other settlement proposal, or any of West’s allegations against Massie.
She said West was not fired, but that her office chose not to extend West’s temporary 90-day employment “due to concerning conduct by Ms. West.” The workplace complaint containing allegations against Spartz’ office came a few months later, Spartz said, which she denied and refused to settle.
She also defended Massie.
“On a personal level, Rep. Spartz considers Thomas Massie to be one of the strongest supporters of women in Congress and a defender of women’s rights among her GOP colleagues,” her statement reads. “Rep. Spartz has seen him in action.”
Three people involved in producing and releasing the video had previously run for office against Massie.
West said she was offered a $60,000 settlement for “retaliatory discharge” from Spartz’s office.
But the settlement, she said in the video, requires her to sign a nondisclosure agreement, which she said she would not do.
Spartz acknowledges that she recently expressed willingness to “reconsider settlement discussions in order to save taxpayer money,” but said she did not try to “force” West into an NDA.
“On the contrary, Rep. Spartz would be happy to publicly disclose all aspects of these allegations, the circumstances surrounding Ms. West’s employment, and how this process is structured in Congress, if permitted to do so,” the statement reads.
Contact Statehouse reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on X @kayla_dwyer17.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Spartz denies knowledge of alleged hush money to former staffer, defends Massie
Reporting by Kayla Dwyer and Jolene Almendarez, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
