Floodgates open on calls for Florida GOP chairman to resign amid rape investigation

Florida GOP Chairman Christian Ziegler found himself hanging on for his political life on Tuesday as calls mounted for him to resign from his post to face an active criminal investigation into a sexual assault allegation.

The deluge of criticism from prominent Florida Republicans marked a change from recent days, when many of the party’s top officials kept quiet on the scandal surrounding Ziegler, who has so far resisted the pressure to step down.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott joined the growing chorus of Florida Republicans casting doubt on Ziegler’s future at the state GOP, saying in a statement that the accusations against Ziegler were “very disturbing” and cast a pall over the Florida GOP as it heads into the 2024 election cycle.

“The Party has a very important decision before it, and the decision has to be made on what is best for winning elections in 2024,” Scott said. “I don’t see how Christian can continue to successfully act as Chairman while this cloud hovers over him.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who initially called for Ziegler to step down last week after news of the allegations first emerged, doubled down on that demand on Tuesday, telling reporters that it is “untenable” for Ziegler to remain in the chairmanship.

Two members of DeSantis’ Cabinet — Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and state CFO Jimmy Patronis — also indicated on Tuesday that Ziegler could no longer continue to lead the Florida GOP.

“With just over 100 days until our state’s Presidential Primary, Christian needs to step down, focus on his family, and let others lead our party through next year’s organization, fundraising and voter registration needs,” Simpson said in a statement

Those remarks came a day after Florida GOP Vice Chairman Evan Power sent a memo to the party’s executive board calling for a special meeting to discuss the “censure or discipline” of Ziegler. Power wrote that he had called Ziegler “to request that he call an executive board meeting; he declined and said the matters could be taken up in February.”

“It is the opinion of the many members that is not an acceptable timetable,” Power wrote. He proposed that the party’s executive board meet on Dec. 17 in Orlando.

The allegations against Ziegler center on an Oct. 2 encounter between the Florida GOP chairman and a woman with whom he and his wife, Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, had planned to have consensual sex, according to a search warrant affidavit detailing the allegations.

The alleged victim claims that she canceled when Bridget Ziegler was unable to make it. Christian Ziegler then allegedly showed up to the woman’s apartment alone and proceeded to rape her, according to the affidavit. Bridget Ziegler later told investigators that she and Christian had previously had a sexual encounter with the woman once over a year ago.

According to the search warrant affidavit, Ziegler said that his sexual encounter with the alleged victim was consensual and that he uploaded video of the encounter to his Google Drive. Investigators wrote in the affidavit, which was filed on Nov. 15, that they had not been able to locate that footage.

Ziegler, through his attorney, has denied any wrongdoing and insisted that he has been cooperating with law enforcement and will be exonerated.

Despite calls for his resignation by some of Florida’s most powerful Republicans — including DeSantis, state House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo — Ziegler has dug in his heels. In an email to party members on Saturday, he said the allegations against him were untrue and that he wouldn’t let them get in the way of his job leading the Florida GOP.

“We have a country to save and I am not going to let false allegations of a crime put that mission on the bench as I wait for this process to wrap up,” he wrote, adding that he believed his “role in this investigation is complete” and is now waiting for law enforcement to finish their report.

Many Florida Republicans have remained silent on the allegations, at least publicly, including former President Donald Trump, whose allies helped boost Ziegler’s bid for the state GOP chairmanship during a contentious race earlier this year against Power. Representatives of his presidential campaign have not responded to multiple requests for comment.

The scandal surrounding Ziegler has sent shockwaves well beyond Florida’s GOP leadership. Bridget Ziegler, a Sarasota County School Board member, has faced more-limited calls for her resignation. In a statement on Tuesday, two of her fellow Moms for Liberty co-founders — Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice — said that Bridget Ziegler “remained an avid warrior for parental rights across the country” but emphasized that she hasn’t served in an official role at the group for more than two years.

At the same time, Florida Democrats have pounced on the allegations against Ziegler — and his subsequent refusal to resign from the state GOP — as a sign of turmoil within the ranks of the Florida Republican Party.

“The house of cards is falling,” Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried told reporters on Tuesday. “Republicans are turning on each other and Christian Ziegler must resign now.”

This story was originally published December 5, 2023 at 2:25 PM.