Government increasing investigation into Florida GOP chair accused of rape
The brandnew revelation provides to the mounting issues for Ziegler, who has insisted that the Oct. 2 sexual stumble upon used to be consensual and has refused to step ill from his position with the GOP in spite of Gov. Ron DeSantis and alternative lead Florida Republicans urging him to surrender. The birthday party’s govt board individuals
stripped Ziegler of his power and wage all over a gathering in Orlando on Dec. 17.
Ziegler’s spouse Bridget Ziegler, who co-founded the conservative oldsters team Mothers for Self determination, has additionally confronted accusations of hypocrisy partly as a result of she informed police all over the probe that she had a consensual sexual stumble upon with the sufferer and her husband a few time in the past. Bridget Ziegler has driven conventional public values and used to be an outspoken supporter of Florida’s legislation that bans lecturers from educating scholars on sexual orientation and gender id, recognized by way of fighters as “Don’t Say Gay.”
The brandnew file states that Ziegler confirmed police the two 1/2-minute video on the middle of the investigation on Nov. 2, 2023. It additionally says that Ziegler’s lawyer, Derek Byrd, informed police that the alleged sufferer requested Ziegler in an Instagram message whether or not he confirmed his spouse, Bridget Ziegler, the video.
Each the alleged sufferer and Bridget Ziegler informed police they didn’t know in regards to the video and hadn’t distinguishable it.
Ziegler faces imaginable fees of rape and video voyeurism. Requested in regards to the newly spared seek warrant, Byrd informed POLITICO that he stood by way of his actual commentary in regards to the investigation, which said he used to be assured his shopper would no longer face fees and predicted he’d be “completely exonerated.”
Byrd stated he didn’t know when the investigation could be over however “have to believe it will be soon.”
Ziegler will face GOP environment and county leaders on Jan. 8 in Tallahassee, the place individuals are anticipated to oust him from his put up. Evan Powers, the flow vice chair who’s chief the crowd, will even run to exchange him that very same age.
The
Florida Center for Government Accountability initially learned of the investigation into Ziegler and has damaged many of the trends at the case.
Ziegler taped the stumble upon, and unnamed resources who seen the video informed the Florida Middle for Govt Responsibility that
it could undermine the rape criticism.
Bridget Ziegler, who’s a Sarasota County Faculty Board member, has
refused to step down from her faculty board task. She additionally nonetheless works as a board member for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which controls the land shape Walt Disney Global later the leisure gigantic clashed with DeSantis over an LGBTQ+ faculty curriculum cancel.
