Massie rejects ‘false’ allegation in late-breaking May surprise before GOP primary
by Seth McLaughlin · The Washington TimesRep. Thomas Massie on Wednesday denied allegations from a woman accusing him of offering her cash to drop a wrongful‑termination complaint against one of his closest congressional allies.
The accusation surfaced just days before Tuesday’s Kentucky GOP primary, muddying the waters in the high-profile 4th Congressional District race pitting Mr. Massie against President Trump’s preferred pick, Ed Gallrein.
Cynthia West, a social worker and school board candidate in Okaloosa County, Florida, says Mr. Massie offered her $5,000 in cash to drop a complaint she had filed against Rep. Victoria Spartz, an Indiana Republican aligned with him.
Ms. West made the claim in an interview with conservative Kentucky trial lawyer Marcus Carey, whom Mr. Massie defeated in the 2012 GOP primary.
“All of the claims of inappropriate conduct are false,” Mr. Massie said in a statement. “I’ve never offered anyone money in exchange for their silence. I report all of my farm income, including cash, to the IRS. There are no ethics claims filed against me, nor have there ever been any claims filed against me in my 14 years in office.”
Mr. Massie is considered Mr. Trump’s top primary target after breaking with the president on the Epstein files, global conflicts and foreign assistance — and after arguing that he could not support Mr. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill because it would further drive up the national debt.
“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,” Mr. Massie said.
In the interview with Mr. Carey, Ms. West said she started a relationship with Mr. Massie after the congressman privately messaged her on X, weeks after the death of his wife in the summer of 2024.
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She said they visited friends in Savannah, Georgia, and traveled to South Africa on a political trip. She also said he gave her a promise ring. She said that in late 2024, he arranged for her to get a job in Ms. Spartz’s office so she could be in Washington.
She said she broke up with Mr. Massie shortly after she took the job. She said Mr. Massie “wanted me to engage in behavior” that she wasn’t “comfortable with.” She described him as “emotionally abusive.”
After she broke up with him, Ms. West said she was fired from Ms. Spartz’s office during her probationary period.
When Ms. West told Mr. Massie she intended to file an ethics complaint against Ms. Spartz, she said he offered to give her $5,000 in hush money.
“You’re just one person. You’re not going to make a difference. Just walk away,” Ms. West said Mr. Massie told her.
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She also said she was offered a $60,000 settlement in the wrongful termination complaint she filed against Ms. Spartz. But she said she could not do it because it would “call into question my own integrity.”
She told Axios she said she could not stand Mr. Massie’s hypocrisy.
“It really bothered me watching him with the Epstein files because he’s sitting there talking about transparency and victims’ rights and having women be heard, and he literally tried to silence me,” she said.
She said she’s not working with any of the candidates in the Kentucky race, nor with any of the political organizations engaged in it.
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The Massie-Gallrein showdown has become the most expensive House primary in American history.
Her claims ignited an online battle, with Trump allies casting Mr. Massie as a sleezy hypocrite and the congressman’s supporters arguing the allegations are a last‑minute smear from opponents — including pro‑Israel groups and Trump world hucksters — willing to go to any length to stop a man they see as disloyal to the president.
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Seth McLaughlin
smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com
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