text: The Florida Republican Party has voted to oust Chair Christian Ziegler from his leadership position as authorities investigate allegations that Ziegler sexually assaulted a woman previously involved in a three-way relationship with himself and his wife, Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler.
  The party reportedly voted overwhelmingly to expel Ziegler on Monday.
  The vote comes weeks after the state GOP unanimously voted during an emergency meeting to strip Ziegler of his official duties and lowered his salary to $1. Days before, reports emerged that Ziegler had requested a multi-million dollar buyout in exchange for his resignation. Ziegler denied that such a request was ever made.
  He “cannot morally lead the Republican Party forward,” Vice Chairman Evan Power said after the December vote. Ziegler had adamantly refused to resign despite calls to step down from prominent Florida lawmakers, including Governor Ron DeSantis and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).
  In late November, Ziegler was accused of sexually assaulting a woman involved in a long-term ménage à trois between himself and his wife. According to a police complaint obtained by The Florida Trident, and sources who spoke to the outlet, the woman alleges that Ziegler raped her on Oct. 2 while the pair were alone in her home in Sarasota, Florida. The woman told police that she had initially agreed to a sexual encounter with the couple but backed out after learning that Bridget Ziegler would not be participating. Christian Ziegler allegedly showed up at the woman’s residence uninvited and assaulted her. Ziegler has yet to be charged with a criminal offense and denies the allegations of assault despite admitting to police that the two had had sex.
  According to police documents obtained by Politico, the investigation has also expanded into allegations that Ziegler recorded his alleged assault on the woman without her consent.
  The allegations have also carried professional ramifications for his wife. Bridget Ziegler is not currently under investigation by Sarasota authorities, but the revelations of her and her husband’s sexual proclivities have drawn backlash from conservative groups and at least one Moms for Liberty local chapter.
  In December, the Sarasota County, Florida, school board passed a resolution calling for Mrs. Ziegler to resign from her position as a board member. The same month the Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, chapter of Moms for Liberty announced it would be breaking with the national organization. “Our values are not aligning with the national organization,” chapter president Clarissa Paige told The News-Item, adding that it’s “hard to advocate for parental rights when the co-founder is caught up in the scandal.”
  Source link: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/christian-ziegler-ousted-florida-gop-rape-investigation-1234942486/