Current:Home > MySen. Scott joins DeSantis in calling for resignation of state GOP chair amid rape investigation-InfoLens
Sen. Scott joins DeSantis in calling for resignation of state GOP chair amid rape investigation
View Date:2024-12-23 21:18:46
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Republican Party of Florida chairman is facing mounting pressure to resign as police investigate a rape allegation, with Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott joining Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday in saying Christian Ziegler should step down rather than be a distraction during an important election year.
Beyond the possibility of criminal charges, Ziegler and his wife Bridget, a co-founder of Moms for Liberty, are being called out for the hypocrisy of admitting a sexual relationship with another woman even though they very publicly fight against LGBTQ+ rights.
“The allegations are very disturbing,” Scott said in a statement released by his re-election campaign. “I don’t see how Christian can continue to successfully act as chairman while this cloud hovers over him.”
The allegation comes as Scott is being challenged by former Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell as he seeks a second term, DeSantis is running for president and the state is expected to play a role in the balance of power in the U.S. House.
Ziegler is refusing to step down, saying he had a consensual sexual relationship with a woman who agreed to have sex with him and his wife. But the woman told police Ziegler raped her when she refused to have sex without Bridget Ziegler present.
The party has a moral clause that could allow board members to oust Ziegler. Vice Chairman Evan Power emailed party leaders and called for an emergency meeting.
“In an act of respect for the Chairman, this evening, I phoned him to request he call an executive board meeting; he declined and said the matters could be taken up in February. It is the opinion of the many members that is not an acceptable timetable,” Power wrote.
A meeting is being planned in less than two weeks in which Ziegler could be ousted.
Democrats are saying Bridget Ziegler also should step down from her elected position on the Sarasota County School Board because she admitted to police that she and her husband were part of a sexual relationship with another woman despite her anti-LGBTQ+ agenda.
“It is not about Bridget’s sexual orientation,” said Democratic House Leader Fentrice Driskell during an online news conference. “This is 100% about the hypocrisy. It is about the hypocrisy, the hypocrisy, the hypocrisy.”
Moms for Liberty issued a statement saying that while Bridget Ziegler is an “avid warrior for parental rights,” she stepped down from the group shortly after she helped start it.
“To our opponents who have spewed hateful vitriol over the last several days: We reject your attacks. We will continue to empower ALL parents to build relationships that ensure the survival of our nation and a thriving education system,” said co-founders Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice. “That mission is and always will be bigger than any one person.”
No charges have been filed against Ziegler, but the Sarasota Police investigation remains open. The accuser, who has known Christian Ziegler for 20 years, told police in October that he forced his way into her apartment and raped her, according to search warrant affidavits filed by police.
Bridget Ziegler also was appointed by DeSantis to the board that now oversees Walt Disney World’s land development. DeSantis pushed through legislation last year disbanding a Disney-controlled board after the company opposed his bill that limits sex education in schools.
The rape accusation against Christian Ziegler became public last week after the Florida Center for Government Accountability, an investigative news organization, obtained a police report and the search warrant affidavits detailing the allegations.
DeSantis called for Christian Ziegler to resign last week and repeated it during a news conference Tuesday.
“When you have an investigation of crimes of this magnitude, I think the mission has to come first. It is not helpful to the mission to have this hanging over his head,” said DeSantis, adding that House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo agree. “Most people acknowledge that it’s just an untenable situation.”
veryGood! (73835)
Related
- Karol G addresses backlash to '+57' lyric: 'I still have a lot to learn'
- Nearly 8 in 10 AAPI adults in the US think abortion should be legal, an AP-NORC poll finds
- No. 13 seed Yale stuns SEC tournament champion Auburn in another March Madness upset
- Regina King Offers Sweet Gesture to Jimmy Kimmel During Conversation After Her Son's Death
- Mississippi governor intent on income tax cut even if states receive less federal money
- Riley Strain Dead at 22: Police Detail What Led to Discovery of Missing Student
- Here's How Jamie Lee Curtis Reacted To Chef José Andrés' Kitchen Mishap While Filming For His New Show
- Rick Barnes would rather not be playing former school Texas with Sweet 16 spot on line
- Guns smuggled from the US are blamed for a surge in killings on more Caribbean islands
- Trump's Truth Social set to go public after winning merger vote
Ranking
- Timothée Chalamet Details How He Transformed Into Bob Dylan for Movie
- Men's March Madness live updates: JMU upsets Wisconsin; TCU-Utah State battling
- Georgia bill would give utility regulators extra years in office without facing voters
- Trump says he has nearly $500 million in cash but doesn’t want to use it to pay New York judgment
- Amazon Black Friday 2024 sales event will start Nov. 21: See some of the deals
- Casey, McCormick to appear alone on Senate ballots in Pennsylvania after courts boot off challengers
- Alabama gambling bill faces uncertain outlook in second half of legislative session
- The Politics Behind the SEC’s New Climate Disclosure Rule—and What It Means for Investors
Recommendation
-
Could trad wives, influencers have sparked the red wave among female voters?
-
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Wish Health and Healing for Kate Middleton Following Cancer Diagnosis
-
Democratic state senator files paperwork for North Dakota gubernatorial bid
-
Chemotherapy: A quick explainer in light of Princess Kate's cancer diagnosis
-
Lala Kent Swears by This Virgo-Approved Accessory and Shares Why Stassi Schroeder Inspires Her Fall Style
-
Texas school bus with more 40 students crashes, killing 2 people, authorities say
-
For Haitian diaspora, gang violence back home is personal as hopes dim for eventual return
-
The Politics Behind the SEC’s New Climate Disclosure Rule—and What It Means for Investors