Dem
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GOP
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The chairman of the Florida Republican Party, Christian Ziegler, and his wife, Bridget Ziegler, are a Florida power couple. She is a member of the Sarasota School Board as well as a member of the special board that Ron DeSantis created to run Walt Disney World, and is also co-founder of Moms for Liberty. In addition, she played a major role in banning books in schools and laying the groundwork for Florida's "Don't say gay" law. She stood behind the Governor when DeSantis signed the law. She is also one of Florida's leading anti-trans activists and has worked to bring religious values into the Florida schools. Nationally, she is a MAGA star. Both have campaigned on family values. They are good Christians and very strong believers in family values.
Or... maybe not. Christian Ziegler has now been accused of rape. The evidence is apparently strong enough that DeSantis has called for Ziegler to resign as party chairman. Ziegler defied DeSantis and has refused to resign.
But this is not your standard rape story. There is a wee bit more. The accuser alleges that Christian, Bridget, and she herself have been involved in a power sexual trio that has been going on for 3 years and that Christian secretly made videos of them. She also says that the alleged rape occurred at her home at a time that Bridget was supposed to show up for a trio but didn't appear. So Ziegler saw his chance and raped her. The Sarasota police have confirmed that a complaint was registered and that they have seized Ziegler's cell phone so they can search it for the videos. Surveillance video showed that Ziegler did arrive at the complainant's residence on the day of the alleged rape. The complainant called her sister immediately after the incident and the police have verified the call and interviewed the sister who confirmed the story. This makes the case much stronger than "he said/she said" since there is now a surveillance video and a witness who knew about it in real time.
Nikki Fried, the chair of the Florida Democratic Party, said: "Given the severity of the criminal allegations, I'm calling for his immediate resignation." This is the first time we can recall where she has agreed with DeSantis on anything. Fried also said: "As leaders in the Florida GOP and Moms for Liberty, the Zieglers have made a habit out of attacking anything they perceive as going against 'family values'—be it reproductive rights or the existence of LGBTQ+ Floridians. The level of hypocrisy in this situation is stunning." (V)