Florida GOP Chair, Linked to Moms for Liberty, Faces Sexual Assault Allegations Amid Ménage à Trois Scandal

The head of Florida’s Republican Party, Christian Ziegler, is the subject of a criminal investigation due to a claim of sexual battery, the Sarasota County Police Department has confirmed to PEOPLE.

According to the Florida Center for Government Accountability, his accuser states that she had been having a consensual three-way sexual relationship with Christian and his wife, Bridget Ziegler, for some time prior to the incident.

Bridget is a member of the Sarasota County school board and co-founder of Moms for Liberty, a far-right group that opposes any discussion of LGBTQ rights, race, ethnicity, critical race theory, or discrimination in the curriculum. Christian chairs the Florida GOP. Even though she was no longer with Moms for Liberty, Bridget was a major force behind the divisive “Don’t Say Gay” laws in Florida.

The head of Florida’s Republican Party, Christian Ziegler, is the subject of a criminal investigation due to a claim of sexual battery, the Sarasota County Police Department has confirmed to PEOPLE.

According to the Florida Center for Government Accountability, his accuser states that she had been having a consensual three-way sexual relationship with Christian and his wife, Bridget Ziegler, for some time prior to the incident.

Bridget is a member of the Sarasota County school board and co-founder of Moms for Liberty, a far-right group that opposes any discussion of LGBTQ rights, race, ethnicity, critical race theory, or discrimination in the curriculum. Christian chairs the Florida GOP. Even though she was no longer with Moms for Liberty, Bridget was a major force behind the divisive “Don’t Say Gay” laws in Florida.

The allegations are shocking not only in light of their background but also because of the potential influence they may have on Florida politics, given the Zieglers’ pivotal role in politicizing discussions of sex and sexual orientation. Close allies of Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who is currently vying for president, and his wife, Casey DeSantis, are Christian, 40, and Bridget, 41.

Their “Don’t Say Gay” bill, officially named “Parental Rights in Education,” was first introduced to govern grades K–3 and later extended to include grades 4–12. It prohibits the discussion of specific LGBTQ topics in the classroom “in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”

There has been a strong national backlash against the law, with many arguing that it may worsen the situation for a community that is already marginalized.

When Disney World voiced opposition to the divisive bill, it sparked a feud between DeSantis and the company.

Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida wants to provide Walt Disney World, the “dream come true,” with what he views as an essential, if divisive, wake-up call.

According to The New York Times, DeSantis urged state legislators on Tuesday to take into consideration terminating the agreement that has granted Disney World and Florida special privileges since 1967. These privileges include tax exemptions and some autonomy, such as the ability to provide its own fire, police, and other services like road construction and maintenance.

According to The Washington Post, state lawmakers “will be considering the termination of all special districts that were enacted in Florida prior to 1968, and that includes the Reedy Creek Improvement District,” DeSantis stated. The Reedy Creek Improvement District is a special zone that spans 25,000 acres in two counties and contains properties owned by Disney.

The Walt Disney Corporation stated in a statement on March 28 that the bill “should never have passed and should never have been signed into law.” “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the Legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that.”

In response, the governor denounced Disney as “woke” and claimed in an email intended for fundraising that the venerable business “lost any moral authority to tell you what to do.”

Subsequently, according to The New York Times, DeSantis asked lawmakers to take into consideration abolishing the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a special zone established in 1967 that grants businesses special rights, such as tax exemptions, some autonomy in running their own fire and police departments, and other services like road construction and maintenance.

After a vote by state legislators to take away the company’s authority over the district, DeSantis signed the legislation into law in February. When he did, he appointed Bridget Ziegler as one of five new board members to manage the district.

In addition, DeSantis personally supported Bridget to keep her position on the school board.

Republicans have sort of used Bridget’s work in reshaping education in Florida as a model elsewhere. She was appointed vice president of the Leadership Institute, a conservative nonprofit, last year. In this role, she is in charge of preparing other individuals who wish to run for school boards across the nation.

Her platform, according to a website for her campaign, is to support “sexual education focused on biology, not pleasure or gender theory.”

Please visit rainn.org or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) if you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault.