Florida GOP votes to strip chairman Christian Ziegler of authority after he was accused of raping woman in 'ménage a trois' with him and his wife - and will reduce his salary to $1

The Florida GOP has voted to strip its chairman of authority and reduce his salary to $1 after he was accused of raping a woman, who had previously joined the married couple for a threesome. 

An emergency meeting with 40 board members on Sunday kickstarted the process of removing Christian Ziegler, who is facing fierce accusations after a woman said he raped her after she canceled plans to have sex with him and his wife Bridget.

The board will formally consider whether to remove Ziegler as chair next month.  

Sarasota police are investigating the unnamed woman's claim that Ziegler attacked her after she backed out of sex when she learned Bridget would not be present.

Ziegler, 40, previously said he and his wife are being targeted because they are 'such loud political voices' - and added that he will not resign over the allegations. 

Police are investigating the allegations and have not charged Ziegler with a crime. 

Despite the lack of criminality found so far, insiders say that they want Ziegler out because the allegations have ruined his reputation in GOP circles, making him an ineffective fundraiser in the run-up to the 2024 election. 

Jack Brill, GOP chair of Sarasota County, said: 'These are serious issues. [This] is uncharted territory for the great majority of everybody.' 

Evan Power, the vice chair who will take over Ziegler's powers, said today: 'Today, we took an appropriate action to bring accountability to one of our members. It was a hard moment for many of us. … But the charges against him are serious in nature. And we cannot move forward as an organization without a new leader.' 

'Christian Ziegler has engaged in conduct that renders him unfit for the office,' the party´s motion to censure Ziegler said, according to a document posted on the social media platform X by Lee County GOP Chairman Michael Thomason.

Thompson said Ziegler tried to defend himself during the closed-door meeting, but the party board quickly took the action against him.

'Ziegler on soap box trying to defend himself, not working,' Thompson posted before confirming the votes.

A search warrant revealed that Bridget admitted to police that the couple had a sexual encounter with the accuser last year. Ziegler told detectives that he did have sex with the woman but that it was consensual.

Ziegler claimed he filmed the October 2 encounter before deleting the video and saving it on a Google Drive, according to police documents.

In a letter to supporters, Ziegler wrote: 'We have a country to save and I am not going to let false allegations of a crime put that mission on the bench as I wait for this process to wrap up.'

'My family is rock solid. My wife is behind me 150 percent and we have methods in place to protect our (three) children, just as we have with all previous attacks that we have faced.'

The longtime GOP activist ascended to the state party's top post in February.

Police records saying that the Ziegler had group sex with a woman have led Democrats and gay rights leaders to accuse the couple of hypocrisy, given that an organization Bridget Ziegler co-founded - Moms for Liberty - has joined DeSantis and the Florida GOP in pushing back against LGBTQ+ causes.

Bridget Ziegler is also an elected member of the Sarasota County school board and was appointed by DeSantis to the board that now oversees Walt Disney World´s land development. 

The rape accusation against Ziegler became public after the Florida Center for Government Accountability, an investigative news organization, obtained a police report and the search warrant affidavits detailing the allegations.

The accuser's name is redacted in the documents. 

The accuser, who has known Ziegler for 20 years, told police that when Bridget backed out of the plan to have sex, she texted Christian saying: 'Sorry, I was mostly in for her,' according to an affidavit.

Later that evening, the woman claims that as she went to leave her apartment, she discovered Ziegler outside in the hallway - and alleges he then entered her property and raped her. 

Weeks later, detectives began to monitor calls and messages sent by Christian Ziegler to the accuser, according to the affidavit.

'Where r u? Wanna meet and chat? Worried about you. You are my friend,' Ziegler allegedly wrote in one message via Instagram.

'Hell no not after what you did to me,' the woman responded. 'Do you not understand I am terrified of you?'

A 911 call, obtained by the Florida Center for Government Accountability, made by a friend of the alleged victim revealed she confided in the friend about being raped.

'She told me she was raped,' the friend informed the dispatcher on October 4.

'She's saying she's scared, that the person who raped her came to her house, so she's scared to leave... I'm worried about her right now,' the friend explained.

In text and phone conversations monitored by investigators, Ziegler offered the woman 'financial help' before becoming suspicious that they were being recorded.