{"id":2143899,"date":"2024-01-08T20:06:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-09T01:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-gop-ousts-christian-ziegler-from-party-chairmanship-amid-sexual-assault-investigation\/"},"modified":"2024-01-08T20:08:14","modified_gmt":"2024-01-09T01:08:14","slug":"florida-gop-ousts-christian-ziegler-from-party-chairmanship-amid-sexual-assault-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-gop-ousts-christian-ziegler-from-party-chairmanship-amid-sexual-assault-investigation\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida GOP removes Christian Ziegler as party chairman due to ongoing sexual assault investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fflorida-gop-ousts-christian-ziegler-from-party-chairmanship-amid-sexual-assault-investigation%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2143899&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Christian Ziegler, who\u2064 was ousted \u2064on Monday as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, addressing the\u2063 party\u2019s Freedom Summit in\u200b November. (Phelan M. \u200dEbenhack\/Associated Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Ousted Chairman of Florida Republican Party\u2063 Amid \u200cSexual Assault Investigation<\/h2>\n<p>OAN\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/tag\/elizabeth-volberding\">Elizabeth Volberding<br \/><\/a>4:52 PM \u2013 Monday, \u200dJanuary 8, 2024<\/p>\n<p>Florida\u2019s Republican \u200bParty has removed Christian Ziegler \u200dfrom\u200c his party chairmanship position amid a sexual assault \u200dinvestigation.<\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-3\" style=\"min-width: 320px; min-height: 50px; text-align: center;\">  \t<script>  \t\tgoogletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-3'); });  \t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"ad-slot__ad-label\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, Florida Republicans voted to oust Ziegler from his position after\u2063 he had been accused of sexual assault.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, in an emergency meeting held behind closed\u2063 doors in Tallahassee, he\u2063 was removed in a 199-3 vote.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cThe Republican Party had no choice,\u201d said\u200b St. Petersburg College professor Tara Newsom. \u201cThe conflict that is following \u200cthe \u200cZieglers is now following the Republican Party.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Following the\u2064 meeting, Vice\u200c Chair Evan\u2063 Power was elected to take on the\u200d chairman role. He \u200bstated that\u2064 he \u2062was voted into the position with a vote of 135-65.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cI feel good,\u201d Power announced after the vote. \u201cI think we\u2019re ready \u2064to move Florida forward. It\u2019s good to have this chapter behind\u200d us. You know, the Republican party of Florida\u200c is bigger than one person \u2064and what\u2062 we did today is\u2062 come together and close this chapter and move on \u2064so we can continue winning elections as we\u200c move \u200dforward.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Since October, the\u200c Sarasota Police Department\u200c has been looking into Ziegler. <\/p>\n<p>On October 2<sup>nd<\/sup>, 2023, the day of the alleged assault, Ziegler and his wife Bridget \u200dhad arranged a \u2064three-way sexual encounter with a female victim. <\/p>\n<p>However, \u201cwhen the\u200c victim learned that Bridget\u200d could not \u2064make it, she changed her\u2062 mind and canceled the meetup \u200bwith\u200d Christian,\u201d according to \u2062a search warrant affidavit obtained by\u200d the press from\u200c the Florida Center\u200b for Government \u2062Accountability. <\/p>\n<p>The Zieglers have claimed that the sexual relationship with the accuser was \u201cconsensual.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to the affidavit, Ziegler was seen on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kentucky-cop-placed-on-leave-for-praying-in-front-of-abortion-clinic-will-return-to-work\/\" title=\"Kentucky Cop Placed On Leave For Praying In Front Of Abortion Clinic Will Return To Work\">surveillance footage showing<\/a> up at the alleged victim\u2019s home the day of the\u2062 alleged assault. He reportedly entered the apartment\u200d and sexually assaulted \u200dthe woman while she\u2063 was \u201csitting on a bar stool.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition, Sarasota police are in\u200d the process of examining if Ziegler breached Florida\u2019s video voyeurism laws by recording the sexual encounter at the base of the investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Last\u200c month, Ziegler\u2019s attorney Derek Byrd \u2062made a statement claiming that \u200che would be \u2063freed\u2064 of\u200b any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cWe are confident that \u200bonce the police \u200binvestigation is concluded that \u2063no charges will be filed and Mr. Ziegler will be completely exonerated,\u201d Byrd said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and \u200dGovernor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) had all called for Ziegler\u2019s resignation. The Florida Republican Party, which still gave Ziegler\u2062 the title \u2062of chairman until\u2064 Monday, had\u200d cut his pay to $1 a year last month. They had also removed his authority to\u2064 speak on behalf of the party, hire and fire\u200d employees, and raise money.<\/p>\n<p>As of now, Christian Ziegler has not \u2064been charged with any crimes \u200dand has continued to deny any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<p>Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/alerts\">https:\/\/www.oann.com\/alerts<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"rc-widget-10bad2\" data-rc-widget data-widget-host=\"habitat\" data-endpoint=\"\/\/trends.revcontent.com\" data-widget-id=\"278641\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"dpsp-share-text\" style=\"margin-bottom:10px\"> \t\t \t\tShare this post!\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>45th President Donald Trump takes the stage in Newton Iowa to deliver a nearly two hour speech ahead \u2064of the Iowa caucus. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>DHS Secretary Alejandro\u2063 Mayorkas is\u200b in Texas today to discuss border enforcement. The embattled Biden administration official\u200d is\u2064 in Eagle Pass for an operational visit regarding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/325-pro-palestine-protesters-arrested-for-blocking-nyc-bridges\/\" title=\"325 protesters supporting Palestine were arrested in New York City for obstructing bridges\">ongoing border enforcement efforts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>Authorities arrest a suspect for the \u200bdeadly\u200c shooting at a mall in Florida just\u2062 two days before Christmas.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>In just eight days Iowa residents will gather together at the\u2063 precinct level for the first in the nation caucus events. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>OpenAI and its financial backer Microsoft were sued in Manhattan federal court\u2063 by a pair of nonfiction authors who say the companies misused their work to train the AI models behind AI-based services.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>SpaceX sued a U.S. labor board to block its case accusing \u200bthe company of illegally firing employees calling CEO Elon Musk \u201ca distraction and embarrassment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>ChatGPT \u200cwas well on its way to becoming\u200d a household \u200dname even before 2023 kicked off.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>Apple fell nearly 3% to a seven-week low after Barclays downgraded the shares on concerns demand for its devices will remain weak\u200b in 2024.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> rnrn  <\/p>\n<h2> What is the\u200c current status of the investigation into Christian Ziegler&#8217;s alleged sexual assault<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ousted Chairman of Florida Republican Party\u200c Amid \u2064Sexual Assault\u200d Investigation<\/p>\n<p>Florida\u2019s Republican Party has\u2062 removed Christian Ziegler from his party chairmanship position amid a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/he-was-wrongly-convicted-of-rape-and-spent-40-years-in-prison-now-hes-free\/\" title=\"He Was Wrongly Convicted Of Rape And Spent 40 Years In Prison. Now He\u2019s Free.\">sexual assault investigation<\/a>. The decision was made in an \u200cemergency meeting held behind closed doors in Tallahassee\u200d on Monday, where Ziegler was removed in a 199-3 vote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe\u200b Republican Party \u200chad no choice,\u201d said St. Petersburg College professor Tara Newsom. \u201cThe conflict that is following the Zieglers is\u200c now following the Republican Party.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Following the\u200c meeting, Vice Chair Evan Power was elected to take on the chairman \u200crole with a vote of 135-65.\u200c Power expressed his readiness\u2062 to\u200c move\u2064 forward, stating that\u2063 the Republican party of Florida \u2064is bigger than one person and that they are focused on continuing to win elections.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation into\u200d Ziegler began in October when\u200b the Sarasota Police Department started looking into \u200dthe allegations. According to a \u2064search warrant affidavit obtained by the press, Ziegler and his wife had arranged a sexual \u200dencounter with a\u200c female victim, but when the victim learned that Ziegler&#8217;s \u200bwife would not be present, she canceled the meetup. The Zieglers have claimed\u200c that the encounter \u2062was consensual. \u2064However, surveillance footage reportedly showed Ziegler entering the alleged victim&#8217;s home \u2064and sexually assaulting her \u200cwhile she was sitting on a bar stool.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Sarasota police\u200c are examining\u2062 if Ziegler breached Florida&#8217;s video voyeurism laws \u2064by recording the sexual encounter. Ziegler&#8217;s \u2063attorney,\u200c Derek\u200c Byrd, has stated that they are confident \u200dthat once the police\u200b investigation is concluded, no charges will be filed, and Ziegler will be completely exonerated.<\/p>\n<p>Notable political figures such as \u2064Representative Matt Gaetz, Senator Rick Scott, \u2063and \u2062Governor Ron\u200c DeSantis had all called for Ziegler&#8217;s resignation. The Florida Republican Party had already cut his pay to $1 \u2064a year and removed \u2063his authority to \u2062speak on \u200cbehalf of the party, hire and fire employees, and \u200draise money.<\/p>\n<p>At this time, Christian Ziegler has not been charged with any crimes\u2064 and \u2064continues to deny any wrongdoing. The investigation is ongoing, and the\u2062 Republican Party of Florida \u200cis\u2062 focused on\u200d moving forward despite the allegations surrounding its \u2063former chairman.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christian Ziegler, former chairman of Florida&#8217;s Republican Party, has been ousted due to a sexual assault investigation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2368,"featured_media":2143900,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[542],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2143899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oann"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2143899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2368"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2143899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2143899\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2143900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2143899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2143899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2143899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}