Particle.news
Download on the App Store
11 ARTICLES
·
12h ago

Massie Denies Ex-Girlfriend’s $5,000 Hush-Money Claim as Spartz Disputes Firing Narrative

The timing days before Kentucky’s May 19 primary could sway a Trump-backed challenge to the incumbent.

Image
Photo: Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., walks past Speaker Johnson's office on Thursday, April 30. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Image
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 15: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), speaks during the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Second Amendment hearing in Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, senior fellow for homeland security and immigration at the Center for Renewing America, Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America, Dudley Brown, president of the National Association for Gun Rights, and Stephen I. Vladeck, professor at Georgetown Law are testifying during the hearing. (Photo by Luke Johnson/Getty Images)

Overview

  • West went public Tuesday in a recorded interview alleging Rep. Thomas Massie offered her $5,000 in cash to drop a wrongful termination complaint tied to Rep. Victoria Spartz’s office.
  • Massie’s campaign called the story a last-minute smear, and on Wednesday he issued a statement denying any offer of money and noting there are no ethics claims filed against him.
  • Spartz said Wednesday that West’s role was a 90‑day probationary hire not extended for concerning conduct and that she had never heard of any $5,000 payment by Massie.
  • Axios and Fox News reported a proposed $60,000 settlement in March that included a nondisclosure agreement, which West says she refused, and payroll records show she worked in Spartz’s office for roughly six weeks in early 2025.
  • West said Thursday she would take a polygraph on her account, the race has drawn heavy spending with President Trump backing challenger Ed Gallrein, allies of Massie have questioned West’s credibility, and no public ethics or criminal charges have been announced.