Florida - Monday January 8, 2024: The Republican Party of Florida is scheduled to hold a special meeting Monday to vote on removing Chairman Christian Ziegler and select a new leader as police investigate a rape accusation against him.
The meeting is expected to be held behind closed doors at a Tallahassee conference center.
Last month the Florida GOP suspended Ziegler and demanded his resignation saying he could not effectively lead during a critical election year while facing a rape accusation.
The Sarasota Police Department is investigating the woman’s accusation that Ziegler raped her at her apartment in October. Police documents say the Zieglers and the woman had planned a sexual threesome that day, but Bridget Ziegler was unable to attend. The accuser says Christian Ziegler arrived anyway and assaulted her.
Ziegler has not been charged with a crime and says he is innocent, contending the encounter was consensual.
Ziegler and his wife, Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, have admitted to police that they previously had a consensual sexual relationship with Christian Ziegler's accuser.
However the sordid sexual allegations involving Ziegler, his wife and the woman who has accused him, has prompted Governor DeSantis, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, as well as other state Republican leaders to call on Ziegler to step down. He has refused.
His wife, Bridget Ziegler, is an elected member of the Sarasota School Board. She is not accused of any crime, but the School Board voted to ask her to resign last month. She has also refused to step down.
The couple have been outspoken opponents of LGBTQ+ rights and their relationship with another woman has sparked criticism and accusations of hypocrisy.
“We have to move past this and ... focus on 2024," said State Senator Joe Gruters, who preceded Ziegler as party chair. "Florida's one of the most important states for the Republicans and we have to continue to bring home victories, especially for Rick Scott and the top of the ticket with Trump as our nominee, eventually,”