Florida Republican Party Chairman Christian Ziegler’s legal troubles have worsened as he is now being investigated for possibly violating video voyeurism laws. Chairman Ziegler has faced mounting pressure to resign from his office after being accused of rape last year.
According to a new search warrant affidavit, a judge last month issued a search warrant for Chairman Ziegler’s Instagram account to find probable cause that he violated Florida’s voyeurism law, which is a felony offense punishable by up to five years in prison.
Next week in Tallahassee, Chairman Ziegler faces removal as chairman of Florida’s Republican Party. He maintains his innocence and has not been criminally charged.
Ziegler’s accuser told police that she did not consent to being filmed during the alleged sexual encounter on October 2nd, which is the encounter at the center of the investigation.
During an interview with Sarasota police Chairman Ziegler showed investigators a two-and-a-half-minute video of the sexual encounter, noting that it was consensual.
“The victim did not give Ziegler consent to take this video of them having sex,” the affidavit reads.
“Neither… Ziegler’s wife or the victim knew anything about this video that had been taken of the sexual encounter on 10/02/23, and neither had seen the video of this encounter.”
Chairman Ziegler’s salary has been significantly reduced, and he maintains his innocence, arguing that he would be exonerated. In December, Florida Republicans voted to censure him.
His wife, Bridget Ziegler, is the co-founder of Mom For Liberty, a conservative parental rights group. Similar to Chairman Ziegler, Bridget Ziegler has maintained her innocence amidst the mounting legal woes while also assuring that she will not step down from her position in Florida’s School Board.
In early December, the Florida school board recommended ousting Bridget Ziegler, and the Sarasota County School Board voted 4-1 for a resolution requesting that she step down.
