Ex-Girlfriend Alleges Rep. Thomas Massie Offered $5,000 to Drop Wrongful Termination Suit

An ex-girlfriend of Rep. Thomas Massie has alleged that he helped secure her a position in the office of one of his congressional allies and then offered her $5,000 to drop a wrongful termination lawsuit she filed against that office. The woman, identified as Cynthia West, said she began dating Massie several months after his first wife died in 2024.

She alleged that Massie arranged the job without her applying for it and that she was terminated shortly after ending the relationship. West first made the allegations on Tuesday in a video interview with Marcus Carey, a Kentucky attorney. The claims surfaced as early voting is underway for Kentucky's May 19 primary election.

Massie has represented the district since 2012.

West said Massie first contacted her through social media in August 2024. She alleged that after she ended the relationship over behavior she was not comfortable with, the congressional office fired her after six weeks on the job. She then filed a wrongful termination complaint and named Massie as a witness.

According to West, Massie responded by offering her $5,000 to drop the lawsuit. "He had $5,000 he said that he would give me if I could just walk away," she stated in the interview. The Office of Congressional Ethics offered West $60,000 to settle her complaint earlier this year.

West declined the settlement because it included a non-disclosure agreement that would have prevented her from discussing the matter publicly. "I've spent so much time fighting for transparency and justice, accountability, that if I did this, then I would call into question my own integrity," West said.

Massie has denied any wrongdoing. "It’s sad that a week before this election people are making false and unsubstantiated allegations about me in an obvious attempt to influence the outcome of this election," he said in a statement. " West has stated that she has not been in contact with any challenger’s campaign and that no one is paying her to make the allegations.

When reached by phone, she declined to comment further and referred questions to her spokesman. A spokesperson for the congressional office confirmed that West held a temporary 90-day probationary position. The spokesperson said her employment was not extended beyond that period due to unsatisfactory job performance and declined to comment on other specifics of the allegations.

West's spokesman issued a statement defending her decision to speak publicly. The primary election will be held on May 19.