The former chairman of the Florida Republican Party, who is currently under criminal investigation for sexual assault, has now claimed he is a victim himself.
Christian Ziegler, 40, was ousted from the party chairmanship in January after being accused of raping a woman who had previously joined him and his wife Bridget for sex, allegations he denies.
Documents show Ziegler and his wife, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, discussing the woman who accused him of rape in text messages while Bridget expressed concern for her well-being.
Sarasota police have dropped sexual assault charges against him but have referred a video voyeurism case to prosecutors over a clip he allegedly recorded of his alleged victim.
Ziegler has now cited a law intended to protect victims to prevent further information from being released from his phone.
Christian Ziegler, 40, who is currently under criminal investigation for sexual assault, has now claimed he himself is the victim
Documents show Christian Ziegler and his wife, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, discuss the woman who accused him of rape in text messages as Bridget worries about her well-being
Ziegler has claimed that he has been falsely accused and is therefore a victim whose information should be protected under Marsy’s Law
No charges have been filed yet and the referred case remains under investigation.
Ziegler has claimed that he has been falsely accused and is therefore a victim whose information should be protected under Marsy’s Law.
‘Mr. Ziegler himself has been the victim of a crime because his accuser filed a false report with law enforcement authorities – a first-degree felony under Florida law,” Ziegler’s attorney Matthew Sarelson wrote in a Jan. 30 email to Sarasota City Attorney Robert . Fournier.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Sarasota police are not interested in this argument.
No criminal charges will be filed against Ziegler’s accuser and the department does not expect any charges to be filed in the future, police told the publication.
Marsy’s Law, which gives crime victims the right to prevent the disclosure of information that could be used to locate or harass a victim or that could reveal confidential details about the victim, was passed in 2018 by Florida adopted.
Ziegler’s decision to film the sexual encounter with his accuser is at the heart of the video voyeurism investigation, a possible third-degree felony.
Video voyeurism is defined in Florida law as taking video without the consent of a person “dressing, undressing, or privately exposing one’s body, in a place and time when that person has a reasonable expectation of privacy” for the purpose of ” amusement, amusement, sexual arousal, gratification, or profiteering, or for the purpose of humiliating or abusing another person.”
Ziegler, 40, was dismissed from his party chairmanship in January after being accused of raping a woman who had previously joined him and his wife Bridget (left) for sex.
Bridget Ziegler faced hours of public criticism Tuesday night, with people calling for her to quit over the three-way scandal facing the Moms for Liberty woman and her husband Christian
Bridget told the police officers that she had previously had a threesome with the rape accuser and her husband
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
Ziegler’s wife, Bridget, co-founder of the influential conservative activist group Moms For Liberty, won a four-to-one vote in December to remove her from the Sarasota County Schools Board over the scandal, but declined to resign.
At a school board meeting on Tuesday, the 41-year-old was publicly scrutinized for hours on Tuesday night, with people calling for her to quit.
Bridget Ziegler sidestepped the issue Tuesday night, but later said during the meeting, “I truly believe that specifically regarding sexual orientation and whatever has no place in the comments above. Personal lives, families, all of it.”
She has been accused of hypocrisy for engaging in bisexual acts during a threesome with another woman and her husband, while also being an outspoken leader of anti-LGBTQ policies.
Ziegler told the Sarasota County Schools Board Tuesday night, “I know it’s been a long night and I want to thank the staff again for hanging in there. I wanted to mention a few things that came up in public commentary.
“I’m going to keep this very tight for many reasons and a lot of the conversations that come up during public comment I will never discuss in these rooms because it has absolutely nothing to do with my role as a board member.
“There is a lot of deliberate speculation and taking things out of context, but when it comes to public comment, I agree with Mr. Edwards. And I would actually like to compliment the chairman today, because it is very difficult to chair these meetings.’
Speaking about her role on the committee, she said: “I have taken a lot of arrows, I know my colleagues here have too, it is not comfortable, but I also want to applaud Mrs Rose for her attempt to increase decorum, because we have important work.
‘We’re doing great things. “I have been on this board for almost ten years and I can say again that the progress that has occurred over the last three to six months has been incredible.”
She said she will “defend” the public’s right to speak, adding: “I know there’s a hot-button issue right now, but I know there’s been a lot before December and the emotions high and so it makes it very challenging to navigate through that.’