Florida Republican Party Chairman Christian Ziegler is under criminal investigation after a woman claiming to be part of a three-way relationship with Zeigler’s wife alleged he raped her.
Ziegler’s wife is Bridget Ziegler, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, a right-wing parental rights group and Sarasota County School board member. Together, the couple has a powerful influence in Florida’s GOP politics.
A heavily redacted police complaint obtained by the Florida Trident was filed on October 4, alleging the rape occurred at her Sarasota home. The words ‘rape’ and ‘sexual battery’ remained unpublished, according to the Trident.
According to the outletthe woman alleged that she and both Zieglers had been involved in a long-term, consensual, three-way sexual relationship prior to the incident.
According to the report, the alleged attack occurred when Bridget was not home.
No criminal charges have been filed in the case and Christian Ziegler’s lawyer denied the allegations and said the chairman would be “completely exonerated.”
Florida Republican Party Chairman Christian Ziegler (left) is accused of rape by a woman who says she had a three-way relationship with Ziegler and his wife Bridget Ziegler (right)
Bridget Ziegler is co-founder of Moms for Liberty, a right-wing parenting rights group, and a board member of the Sarasota County School
Together, the couple has a powerful influence in Florida’s GOP politics
The alleged incident, now under investigation by Sarasota police, according to the Trident, happened when Christian and the unnamed accuser were alone in her home on October 2.
Sources quoted by the Trident also said that a search warrant had been served on Christian’s cell phone and that authorities are conducting a forensic investigation of the device.
The GOP heavyweight is also said to have secretly filmed the sexual encounters between the couple and the woman.
Christian Ziegler was elected chairman of the Republican Party of the Sunshine State in February. He was previously vice chairman of the state party. Previously, he was a Sarasota County commissioner.
Bridget Ziegler is considered a rising star in the conservative movement. She previously received the personal endorsement of Florida Governor and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis 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.
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)
Bridget Ziegler is considered a rising star in the conservative movement. She previously received the personal endorsement of Florida Governor and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis for her seat on the school board. Pictured: Bridget with Casey DeSantis
No criminal charges have been filed in the case and Christian Ziegler’s lawyer denied the allegations and said the chairman would be “completely exonerated.”
According to the Trident, DeSantis has publicly praised Bridget Ziegler in speeches about education.
“Bridget Ziegler, we should have her in every county in Florida. We need to do better in these school board races,” DeSantis has said.
Currently, Bridget also works for the Leadership Institute, a conservative group that teaches workshops and develops curricula to train the next generation of conservative leaders.
She oversees a program that “trains moms and dads how to run for school board, win, and then govern!”
In a statement on
Bridget Zeigler did not respond to a request for comment from Ny Breaking.com.
In a statement on
In 2014, Bridget was first elected to the Sarasota County School Board and re-elected in 2018. In August 2022, she was elected for a third term.
Bridget is co-founder of Mom for Liberty, a group formed in the wake of COVID-19 school policies that parents across the country felt unnecessarily hindered their children’s development
Bridget also works for the Leadership Institute, a conservative group that teaches workshops and develops curricula to train the next generation of conservative leaders.
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported that Ziegler’s attorney, Derek Byrd, said he is confident his client “will be fully exonerated,” adding that he has “fully cooperated with every request made by the Sarasota Police Department.”
“Unfortunately, public figures are often accused of actions they did not commit, whether for political purposes or financial gain,” he said.
“I would caution everyone against rushing to judgment until the investigation is complete. Out of respect for the investigation, this is all Mr. Ziegler and I can say at this time.”
The GOP of Sarasota County, where the couple and their young family are based, released a statement announcing their “shock” and “disappointment” in the reports.
“The Republican Party takes all such allegations of possible criminal conduct very seriously and will cooperate fully with investigators,” the statement said.
