By The opinion
Nov 30, 2023, 11:54 PM EST
The president of Republican Party of FloridaChristian Ziegler, is being investigated for alleged rape and sexual assault by the Sarasota Police Department, Ziegler’s attorney, Derek Byrd, confirmed.
Byrd did not say what the allegations were, but in response to questions from multiple media outlets about the charges, the Sarasota Police Department sent a heavily redacted police report that mentions an accusation of rape and sexual assault which reportedly took place on October 2 in Sarasota.
Attorney Byrd said Christian Ziegler “has fully cooperated with every request made by the Sarasota Police Department” and added that once the police department concludes its investigation, he was “confident” that no charges would be filed and that “ Ziegler will be completely exonerated.” “
Ziegler is the husband of Bridget Ziegler, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, a far-right group that identifies as defending fathers’ rights and attempts to elect right-wing candidates to school boards.
The group opposes references to race or LGBTQ identity in the classroom and has asked that se remove books on gender or sexuality from school libraries.
The Florida Center for Government Accountability, a nonprofit organization that focuses on government accountability, was the first to report that a woman told Sarasota police that She, Christian and Bridget Ziegler had been involved in a sexual relationship between them that lasted three years.
The organization, citing sources close to the investigation, indicated that the events investigated supposedly took place while Christian Ziegler and his wife were alone in the woman’s house.
The Florida Democratic Party issued a statement calling on Christian Ziegler to resign as chairman of the state Republican party.
“Christian Ziegler cannot continue to lead the Florida Republican Party under these conditions,” said Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried. “Given the seriousness of the criminal accusations, I call for his immediate resignation.”
“As for the more salacious accusations, what happens behind closed doors is Christian and Bridget’s personal business,” Fried continued. “That said, I find it interesting that two people who are so obsessed with banning books about gay penguins could have a non-traditional sexual relationship.”
The Sarasota County Republican Party, where the Zieglers have long been active, said in a statement cited by The Washington Post that They were “shocked and disappointed” by reports of the allegations.
“The Republican Party takes all such allegations of possible criminal conduct very seriously and will fully cooperate with investigators,” the statement said.
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