Florida Republican Party Chairman Christian Ziegler is under criminal investigation for allegations related to sexual battery, including rape, according to a complaint filed with the Sarasota Police Department.
WATCH: @FloridaGOP Chair Christian Ziegler, husband of @Moms4Liberty cofounder Bridget Ziegler, has been accused of sexual battery by alleged menage a trois lover. The lover has alleged that she was secretly filmed while engaging in sexual acts with BOTH spouses, Christian and… pic.twitter.com/3nCRWFy9gX
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) December 2, 2023
A heavily redacted 13-page report released Thursday includes mention of “rape” and “had been sexually battered…on 10/02/2023.”
REPORT: Florida GOP chairman Christian Ziegler is accused or r*ping a woman who was in a three way relationship with him and his wife, Bridget Ziegler.
Bridget Ziegler is a Moms for Liberty co-founder and helped establish the framework regarding Ron DeSantis' Parental Rights in… pic.twitter.com/gmCk9GTDAs
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 2, 2023
From Politico:
The woman accusing Republican Party of Florida Chair Christian Ziegler of rape told him over Instagram messages that she was distraught and “terrified” of him after their encounter and unable to work, according to a search warrant affidavit.
The affidavit also revealed that Ziegler’s wife, Bridget Ziegler, who co-founded the conservative parents group Moms for Liberty, acknowledged to police that she, the victim and her husband had consensual sex together over a year before the alleged crime occurred, per an interview police conducted Nov. 1.
The search warrant, filed by authorities with the Sarasota County court, provides additional details about the accusations against the state GOP chair and his wife following the revelation about a rape accusation that shocked party members and led Gov. Ron DeSantis to call for Ziegler to resign.
DeSantis is calling for Christian Ziegler, the FL GOP chair who is facing allegations of sexual battery, to resign. https://t.co/xCYKv5MUcJ via @AlecAHernandez pic.twitter.com/3QOFI2vsfF
— Amanda Terkel (@aterkel) December 1, 2023
Both Zieglers are active in Florida Republican politics. Ziegler is a former Sarasota County Commissioner while his wife, besides her role with Moms for Liberty, won a position to Sarasota’s school board after DeSantis endorsed her. She also serves on the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District that governs Walt Disney World, which DeSantis overhauled after the California-based entertainment giant publicly objected to a state law that restricted how gender and sexual orientation can be taught in schools.
The search warrant affidavit reveals that police sought a search warrant of Google’s servers because Ziegler admitted to police that he’d filmed the Oct. 2 encounter between himself and the woman accusing him of rape. He said he initially deleted the video but put it on Google Drive, though police filed a request for a search warrant after they had been unable to locate it.
Ziegler hasn’t been charged with a crime but the investigation is still underway. Ziegler admitted in the search warrant affidavit that he and the woman had sex, but said it was consensual.
In an email to the Florida GOP that was shared with POLITICO, Ziegler said his wife was “behind me 150 percent” and blamed various people in the media for amplifying the allegations.
Ziegler, who remained defiant amid the allegations, said he would have “a lot more to share about the facts, how this transpired, the motive and who was behind it” after the investigation completed.
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