Former Florida Republican Chair Christian Ziegler is still under investigation. Although his fellow Republicans ousted him on January 8, 2024, he is not off the hook for the serious rape accusations against him. Therefore, authorities are trying their best to expand the investigation to know if he is indeed guilty.
According to allegations from a woman, Ziegler raped her on October 2, 2023, in her apartment. Many people were disappointed for several reasons when this news first made headlines. First, Ziegler is a married man with kids of his own. So, having sexual relations with any other woman is infidelity.
Second, this was not his first sexual encounter with the alleged victim, making everyone believe he was a serial cheat. However, a surprising turn of events confused the general public. Ziegler’s wife, Bridget, came forward and admitted to having sexual relations with both him and the victim over a year ago.
This shocked many people, to say the least. Bridget is facing accusations of hypocrisy as she doesn’t seem to practice what she preaches. She co-founded the conservative parents’ group Moms for Liberty, which does not have a good tolerance for LGBTQ+ activities.
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Bridget has always pushed ‘traditional family values’ at all times and is loudly anti-LGBTQ+. The former GOP chair’s wife was also an outspoken supporter of Florida’s law that bans teachers from instructing students on sexual orientation and gender identity, known by opponents as “Don’t Say Gay.”
Therefore, it is quite understandable to see why members are confused and furious. Ziegler, on the other hand, claims that his sexual encounter with the woman was purely consensual. So, he is pleased with the authorities digging further in their investigation. He also told them he filmed the activity, using the tape as evidence.
However, this backfired because filming a sexual activity needs to be consensual. According to the alleged victim, she had no idea he was filming her. Therefore, the authorities requested a search warrant to investigate further.
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They sent in the warrant on December 8, 2024, seeking access to Ziegler’s private messages. These include Instagram messages, videos, and photos, including those under the “vanish” mode that made them disappear from the app. Using whatever evidence they get from his account, they will proceed accordingly.
Ziegler remained strong in his resolve that everything was consensual even as his party members asked him to resign. In the middle of December 2023, his party executive, including the governor of Florida, Rob DeSantis, stripped him of his duties and annual salary.
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Still, Ziegler refused to step down, claiming his innocence would come to light. On January 8, about 200 party members voted to remove Ziegler immediately. His replacement was immediate, in the person of Evan Power, the state’s party’s vice chairman.
Like her husband, Bridget also refused to step down from her position in the community. She is still a member of the Sarasota County School Board and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
Both husband and wife are facing a lot of scrutiny, and even if the investigations show that Ziegler is innocent, it is clear that the damage has already been done.
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