The Florida Republican Party voted Sunday to strip their party chairperson, Christian Ziegler, of his power and reduce his salary to $1 after he was accused of rape.
According to Politico, the Florida GOP executive board voted to reduce Ziegler’s salary and suspend his reimbursements, which together had been about $124,000 a year, and scheduled a vote for Jan. 8, 2024 to formally oust him from his position and elect a new chair.
“You can’t morally lead the Republican Party forward,” given the allegations, Evan Power, the vice chair of the group who is temporarily in charge of the Florida GOP said.
The move comes amid a police investigation into Ziegler after he was accused of raping a woman he’d known for more than two decades. Ziegler and his wife, Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, had initially tried to arrange a consensual threeway sexual encounter with the victim, but the woman canceled when she found out Bridget could not make it.
Ziegler later went to her house anyway and raped her. He told police that he and woman had consensual sex. But the woman told police she was intoxicated and unable to give consent, according to court documents.
Several top Republicans in the state, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, have called on Ziegler to resign, but he has been defiant.
Three sources that were inside the room Sunday told Politico that Ziegler said he couldn’t say much publicly because of the ongoing investigation but was confident that he wouldn’t be charged when the investigation is complete.
Bridget Ziegler is also facing calls to resign from the Sarasota County school board. She has refused to do so even though the board voted 4-1 last week to ask her to step down from her position on the panel. She was the lone dissenting vote.
The board is unable to remove Ziegler from the position, just recommend that she voluntarily resign. Only DeSantis can suspend her from the board then a majority of the state Senate must vote to remove her.
