(UnitedHeadlines.com) – On Dec. 2, the Florida GOP chairman Christian Ziegler stated he would not step down from his position as he faces an investigation into allegations of assault.
In a letter to the state GOP, Ziegler wrote that he would not “let false allegations of a crime” stop him from saving the country. The letter did not discuss the allegation but suggested there was a conspiracy to leak details of the Sarasota Police Department’s investigation. He stated the leak was intentional because he and his wife are “such loud political voices.” He wrote that until the investigation concluded, the complaint and investigation should have remained confidential. He added that he could not share his side of the story with the public at this point in the investigation.
On Oct. 2, the day of the alleged assault, Ziegler and his wife, Bridget, had planned an encounter with the alleged victim, according to a search warrant affidavit. The affidavit stated that the victim changed her mind and canceled when she learned Bridget could not make it. On the day of the alleged assault, Ziegler was seen on surveillance video arriving at the alleged victim’s residence, according to the affidavit. Ziegler was standing in the hallway when the alleged victim “opened her apartment door to walk her dog. The affidavit states that he then entered the apartment and raped her on a bar stool. The alleged victim stated that because “she had been drinking tequila all day” she had told Ziegler “she was not in a place to consent,” according to the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, Ziegler admitted to the encounter with the alleged victim when police interviewed him Nov. 2. However, he stated the encounter was consensual. He added that he had recorded the encounter. Following the allegations, he uploaded the video to his Google Drive.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has called for him to step down, stating that given the gravity of the situation, “I don’t see how he can continue.”
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