Co-founder of anti-LGBTQ+ extremist group allegedly was in 3-year sexual MFF three-way relationship

A prominent Florida Republican, state GOP chair Christian Ziegler, is the subject of a criminal investigation for sexual assault. The man’s wife, Sarasota County School Board member Bridget Ziegler, is one of the co-founders of the anti-LGBTQ+ extremist group Moms for Liberty. The accuser is a woman who said she had sexual encounters with both Bridget and Christian Ziegler.

A woman filed a complaint with police on October 4, alleging that she was sexually assaulted in her home by Christian Ziegler on October 2. The report, which was obtained by the Florida Trident, is mostly redacted.

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Sources close to the investigation said that the woman had a sexual relationship with both of the Zieglers for the past three years. Bridget Ziegler was not present when the alleged sexual assault occurred.

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The sources also said that investigators searched Christian Ziegler’s phone and found that he secretly recorded video of the three-way sexual encounters with the woman and his wife.

No charges have been filed in the case yet, and the Zieglers are not commenting on the investigation. Christian Ziegler’s attorney said in a statement that his client will be “completely exonerated.”

“Unfortunately, public figures are often accused of acts that they did not commit whether it be for political purposes or financial gain,” the lawyer’s statement said. “I would caution anyone to rush to judgment until the investigation is concluded. Out of respect for the investigation, this is all Mr. Ziegler or myself can say at this time.”

Christian Ziegler has been a leader in the state Republican party for years, and Bridget Ziegler found political success more recently with help from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). DeSantis endorsed her when she ran for school board and named her to the board that oversees Disney World’s special district, which was part of an act of vengeance against Disney for opposing his state’s Don’t Say Gay law.

“Bridget Ziegler, we should have her in every county in Florida,” DeSantis once said in a speech posted to Bridget Ziegler’s YouTube channel. “We have to do a better job in these school board races.”

Harvard Law Cyberlaw Clinic instructor Alejandra Caraballo noted that Moms for Liberty is an organization that paved the way for Florida’s Don’t Say Gay law, among other things. She called out the “level of hypocrisy” in light of the allegations.

“Allegations of rape and sexual battery are severe and should be taken seriously,” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said. “I applaud the accuser’s bravery in coming forward against a political figure as powerful as Christian Ziegler, and I trust that the Sarasota Police Department will conduct a thorough investigation into these allegations of criminal behavior. Christian Ziegler can’t possibly continue to lead the Florida GOP under these conditions. Given the severity of the criminal allegations, I’m calling for his immediate resignation.”

Fried also pointed out the “hypocrisy” of Bridget Ziegler’s anti-LGBTQ+ and book-banning activism in light of the accusations.

“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,” she said. “The level of hypocrisy in this situation is stunning.”