Bodycam footage shows the moment police respond to the accuser of former Florida GOP Chairman Christian Ziegler.
The Oct. 4 video shows officers responding to a welfare check on the woman’s friend before asking her a few questions about her complaint.
The clip does not identify the woman, who claims she was raped by Ziegler after she canceled plans to have sex with him and his wife Bridget.
Ziegler has denied the allegations and said he and his wife, the founder of Moms for Liberty, were targeted because of their outspoken conservative views. He was ousted as Florida GOP chairman earlier this week amid the investigation, but no charges have yet been filed.
In the video, officers can be heard speaking to the alleged victim and asking her if Ziegler is “the political guy.”
Christian Ziegler and his wife reportedly planned to meet the third woman, but it is claimed that Bridget ended up not attending
Police bodycam footage has been released showing how they responded to the accuser of former Florida GOP Chairman Christian Ziegler.
The woman is seen being taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where police confirm if she wants a sexual assault kit
The alleged victim sits in the back seat as police question her for more information before taking her to Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
“Before we go in, I just want to make it clear that you would like to purchase a sexual assault kit?” one of the officers asks as they approach the building.
The woman says yes, but her face and voice are blacked out to protect her privacy.
“Now let me ask you, because this is important, do you want this reported or not?” the officer continues.
When the woman indicates that she would like to report it, the officer continues, “Okay, let’s get you in and get everything straightened out.”
The woman claims she was raped by Ziegler in her home on October 2.
The alleged victim, who claims she had a “consensual three-way sexual relationship” with the couple, told investigators she made plans to have sex with Ziegler and his wife.
However, when his wife pulled away, the woman texted Christian, “Sorry, I was mainly after her,” the affidavit said.
Ziegler has said he is innocent following a woman’s claims that he raped her after she canceled plans to have sex with him and his wife.
Ziegler was removed as chairman of the Florida Republican Party during the investigation, although no charges have yet been filed against him
Later that night, the woman claims she discovered Ziegler outside in the hallway as she left her apartment – and claims he then entered her property and raped her.
The GOP heavyweight is also under investigation for secretly recording alleged meetings between the couple and the woman.
Weeks later, detectives began monitoring Christian Ziegler’s calls and messages to the accuser, the affidavit said.
‘Where are you? Do you want to meet and chat? Worried about you. You are my friend,” Ziegler allegedly wrote in a message via Instagram.
“No, not after what you did to me,” the woman replied. “Don’t you understand that I’m terrified of you?”
A 911 call obtained by the Florida Center for Government Accountability made by a friend of the alleged victim reveals that she had confided in the friend about rape.
“She told me she had been raped,” the friend told the dispatcher on October 4.
“She says she’s scared, that the person who raped her has come to her house, so she’s scared to leave… I’m worried about her now,” the friend explained.
School board president Karen Rose said she was “shocked and saddened” when she learned of the allegations against the couple
The alleged incident, now under investigation by Sarasota police, happened when Christian and the unnamed accuser were alone in her home on October 2. Pictured: Christian and Bridget Ziegler with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (center)
Ziegler had ignored calls to resign from his post from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, among others.
He was suspended from Ziegler on December 17, resulting in his salary being withdrawn. But at Monday’s board meeting, he was removed from his position entirely.
Bridget Ziegler is considered a rising star in the conservative movement. She previously received DeSantis’ personal endorsement for her seat on the school board.
She has become known in her home state and across the country as the co-founder of Mom for Liberty, a group formed in the wake of COVID-19 school policies that parents across the country felt unnecessarily hampered their children’s development hindered.
She helped create the framework for what would become DeSantis’ Parental Rights in Education Bill, which became known in the media as the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
However, amid the scandal, she was removed from her directorship at the Sarasota County School Board.
