Florida GOP Chair Christian Ziegler, an influential figure in Florida politics, is vehemently denying accusations of rape, asserting that the allegations stem from a consensual affair with a woman involved in a group encounter.
Christian Ziegler told detectives he had consensual group sex with the accuser and his wife, Bridget Ziegler, co-founder of the Moms for Liberty parent’s rights group, but denied sexual assault.
The 40-year-old Ziegler claims they are being unfairly targeted due to their outspoken political positions.
The woman, according to a search warrant affidavit, initially agreed to a sexual encounter with the Zieglers but canceled when Bridget was unable to attend. Subsequently, she alleges that Christian Ziegler forced his way into her apartment and sexually assaulted her. Ziegler maintains that the encounter was consensual, providing a conflicting account during a police interview where he claimed to have filmed the encounter, later deleting the footage after the accusations surfaced.
Despite calls from both sides of the political spectrum, including Governor Ron DeSantis, for Ziegler to step down amid the ongoing investigation, he remains defiant.
The controversy has stirred accusations of hypocrisy, given the Zieglers’ public commitment to “family values” and their involvement in conservative activism, particularly Moms for Liberty’s stance against what they term “gender ideology” and “critical race theory” in schools.
The Zieglers, facing face scrutiny for blatant discrepancies between their public image and their private lives, say they will be would be fully exonerated.
